'• ^^uma^'mms^^^^^^^^m': 



^'^'^'\jjj^^j.j^j<j- 



yW^^J^^s 



:J0^'' 



^i^tM'wwt/wyvw' 



y \J V V ■ ^ 






<^\j^y^ 



■.WW.w,t^^^ 



-, ; . ; a'^ ^ <J V ^y "^ ,• v/., ; 






Vi'UT/i' 









LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. I 






'mv' 



/^u'^V^ 



v^\^W^ 



w?^^W^^^^^^' 






;^^yg^^ 



^^'^^y:/^v^wg/ii; 






^*^^^4v •'''***^'^^*^^^^^ 






!^!H^W'^W^^yc/^^HHyMfe. 



1 i'iii-i'ii-iliAi ii 












^Vi^VMVf 



v-.^v v,^;',-,,;^ 






..^WVVW 



V>V;^« VV\/.V/ * 



;:j:^"vvr,''^^^^"' 



.'rtJliVilVlii::;,; V w ij ' vV '*' "* 7 '•^ * '« '' - 









:,1^?^'K 









^.^VsAy^U^v^^ 



vOvv.;^.:yvM:!^^'^.S^^^X.-.^; 



'yyVl///Ui //ii'i;; y^^'J 









VWH^^y^. 



,^M;f!^ 



I 



A NEW TREATISE 

— ON — 

I 

Thb diseases and lameness 

— or THE — 



— AND — 

HO^V TO CURE THEM 



The Proper Method of Sfaoeing Horses, 



— AND A - 



Complete lAst of Veterinar^}/ Medicifies. 



BY OHAELES SMITH, T. S. 



BINGHAMTON, N, Y. '/-/«- a" V^-- 

Malc-«e& Reid, 98 Water Street^ ^ ^ 

1873. 



IV , INTKODUCTION. 

act intelligently in an emergency, than he who simply seeks the 
readiest mode of relief for his own Horse when attacked by illness 
or suffering from accident. 

At the same time many horse owners are unable, for various 
reasons, to procure the services of the Surgeon at the time when 
they are most needed. To those this book is offered as a trust- 
worthy guide. The author has aimed to be brief, yet practical, 
and to give f ally the symptoms which indicate every disease which 
horse-flesh is heir to. He has also striven to put his book in lan- 
guage easily comprehended, using the common names of remedies, 
in preference to their scientific terms, and giving in all cases the 
simplest and readiest modes of application. In short, he trusts 
tlsit he has succeeded in putting before the horse owner a book 
which he will find suitable for every-day use, and which he hopes 
will be the means of preventing or alleviating much suffering of 
that noble animal which serves Man so faithfully and so well, and 
whose labors end only with his death. 

CHARLES SMITH, V. S. 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER I. 

Diseases of the Skull and Brain. 

Compression of the Brain.... 9 Cramp 21 

Stomach Staggers 10 Stringhalt 22 

Megrims U Fits, or Epilepsy 22 

Inflammation of the Brain. ... 15 Palsy 23 

Rabies, or Madness 17 Rheumatism ..,. 26 

Tetanus, or Locked Jaw 19 

CHAPTER II. 

Diseases of the Eye. 

Wounds 27 Ophthalmia 29 

Inflammation 29 Gutta Serena 31 

CHAPTER III. 

Injuries and Diseases of the Ear. 

Bruises and Wounds 32 Deafness 32 

CHAPTER IV. 

Diseases of the Nose and Mouth. 

Nasal Polypus 34 Glanders 38 

Nasal Gleet 35 Farcy 39 

Catarrh 36 The Lips 40 

Strangles, or Distemper 36 Lampass 41 

CHAPTER V. 

Diseases of the Tongue and Teeth. 

Laceration of the Tongue.... 43 Age of the Horse U 

The Teeth 44 



Vi CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER VI. 

Diseases of the Neck and Neighboring Parts. 

Poll Evil 47 Tracheotomy 50 

Inflammation of the Vein...' 48 

CHAPTER VII. 

Diseases of the Chest and Neighboring Parts. 

Fistulous Withers 52 Heart Disease 56 

Warbles, Sitfasts, Saddle Galls 53 Fever..... 56 

The Diaphragm 64 Spinal Meningitis .. - 57 

CHAPTER VIII. 

Diseases of the Respiratory System. 

lEfflammation of Larynx 59 Epizootic, or Catarrhal Fever ()7 

Roaring ... . 61 Chronic Diseases 69 

Bronchocele 62 Heaves 70 

Epidemic Influenza 62 Pleurisy 71 

Bronchitis 64 Consumption 72 

Inflammation of Lungs 65 

CHAPTER IX. 

Diseases of the Intestines. 

Spasmodic Colic 75 Calculi 83 

Flatulent Colic 77 Entanglement of the Bowels . 84 

Inflammation of the Bowels. 78 Worms 84 

Constipation of the Bowels. . 80 Hernia, or Rupture 86 

Bots 81 

CHAPTER X. 

Diseases of the Liver, Kidneys, etc. 

Rupture of the Liver 88 Bloody Urine 92 

Jaundice 89 Inflammation of Bladder 93 

Inflammation of Kidneys 90 Stone in the Bladder 94 

Diabetes 91 

CHAPTER XI. 

Diseases of the Organs of Generation. 

Balanitis, or Inflammation of Stoppage of the Water, or 

the Glans Penis 97 Spasm of the Urethra,... 98 



CONTENTS. 



VI 1 



CHAPTER XII. 

Accidents and Diseases of the Fore Legs. 

Sprain of the Shoulder 100 Shoulder Jam, or Sweeny 

CappedElbow 101 

Injuries of the Knees 102 

Rheumatism in the Knee... 103 

Knee Tumors 104 

Speedy Cut 104 



105 
106 
107 



Splint 

Sprain of the Back Sinews 

WindGalls 109 

Suspensory Li gamentln juries 110 

Sprain of the Fetlock Ill 

CHAPTER XIII. 

Diseases and Injuries of the Hind Legs. 



Injuries of the Thigh 113 

Injuries of the Stifle 114 

Bog Spavin and Thorough 

pin 116 

Enlargement of the Hock... 117 



Capped Hock 118 

Curb 118 

Bone Spavin 119 

Swelled Legs 121 

Scratches 122 



CHAPTER XIV. 

Accidents and Diseases of the Foot. 



Cracked Hoof 124 

Founder 125 

Contracted Feet 126 

Pumiced Feet 128 

Navicular Joint Lameness... 129 

Over-reaching 131 

Quittor 131 



Fracture of Skull 139 

Fracture of Nasal Bones 140 

Fracture of Upper Jaw 141 

Fracture of Lower Jaw 142 

Fracture of part of Lower 

Jaw 143 

Fracture of Spine 144 

Fracture of Ribs 144 

Dislocation of Tail 145 

Fracture of Shoulder 146 



Wounds in the Sole 132 

Bruise of the Sole 133 

Corns 134 

Thrush 135 

Canker 136 

Jling Bones 137 

Care of the Feet J38 

CHAPTER XV. 

Twenty Different Fractures. 

Fracture of Arm 146 

Fracture of Elbow 147 

Fracture of Patella 147 

Fracture of Haunch 147 

Fracture of Hock 148 

Fracture of Shank Bone 1 48 

Fracture of Upper Pastern. 150 
Fracture of Lower Pastern . 160 
Fracture of Coffin Bone .... 151 
Fracture of Navicular Bone 152 



viii CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER XVI. 

Diseases of the Skin. 

Hide-Bound 153 Surfeit 15»> 

Psora 154 Larva, or grubs in the Bkin. 157 

Mange 155 Warts 157 

Ringworm 156 Lice ^^^ 

CHAPTER XVII. 

Surgical Operations. 

Throwing the Horse 160 Poll Evil and Fistula 166 

Bleeding 161 Tumors on the Shoulder.... 167 

Phj-sicking 163 Docking 167 

Rowell ng 164 Pricking 168 

Putting in a Seton 164 To straighten Crooked Tails 169 

Castration 164 Firing 169 

• 

CHAPTER XVIIL 

How to Shoe your Horse. 

Proper Form of the Hoof.... 171 The bar shoe IT"* 

The best kind of Shoes 173 Putting leather under the 

To Shoe a Horse for team shoe 175 

work 174 Tips or half shoes 176 

CHAPTER XIX. 

A Complete List of Veterinary Medicines. 



Diseases of the Horse. 



OHIJ^IPTEI^ I. 



Diseases of the Skiill, the Brahi, the Ears 
andr the JEyes, 




?. 



COMPRESSION OF THE BRAIN. 

^YSTS, containins^ a serous or viscid fluid, are 

.,_vf found witliin tlie cranial cavity and lying 

'^^ upon or imbedded in the Brain, and cause 

^"^ the disease known as "Compression of the 

Brain." 

SYMPTOMS. 

The horse shakes his head, carries it low and 
inclined to one side or the other, staggers as he 
walks, and the motion of his limbs is marked by 



10 DISEASES OF THE HORSE 

a peculiar convulsive action. In some cases he 
falls down, lies a few minutes, gets up again and 
commences eating. 

TREATMENT. ' 

Put three or four ounces of chlorinated lime into 
a basin or other suitable vessel, hold the basin 
undei the horse's head and pour into it three 
ouMces of sulphuric acid and let the patient inhale 
the gas. If he shows symptoms of coughing and 
choking withdraw the vessel for a few minutes and 
then apply it again. Repeat the application for 
two or three days and the cure will be complete. 

STOMACH STAGGERS. 

Apoplexy is a determination of blood to the 
head, and the cause is the over-condition of the 
animal and too great fulness of blood. It was 
formerly much more common when it was custo- 
mary to keep horses exceedingly fat ; overwork 
them, and then suffer them to eat voraciously 
until their stomachs were preternaturally distend- 
ed. Farmers formerly kept their horses at the 
plough six or eight hours and then suffered them 
to gorge themselves at will. The consequence was 
that farmers' horses were notoriously subject to 
fits of heaviness and sleepiness, to staggers or 
partial attacks of staggers, and from the frequent 



AND HOW TO CURE THEM. 11 

pressure on the optic nerve and other parts, caused 
by oppression of the brain, they frequently be- 
came blind. Hard-worked and half-starved ani- 
mals on being turned into rich pastures are some- 
times attacked. If the weather is hot the sympa- 
thy of the brain with the undue labor of the 
stomach is more easily excited and a determina- 
tion of blood to the brain more readily effected. 

SYMPTOMS. 

The malady is first recognized by the horse 
standing with his head depressed and bearing 
upon or forced against the manger or wall, with 
a considerable part of his weight evidently sup- 
ported by this pressure of the head. As he thus 
stands he balances himself from side to side as if 
about to fall, and it is often dangerous to stand near 
him, or to move him, for he falls without warning. 
If he can get his muzzle into a corner he will 
sometimes continue there motionless for a consid- 
erable time, and then drops as if he were shot, but 
the next moment he is up again with his feet 
almost in the rack. He sleeps, or seems to do so, 
as he stands, and is nearly or quite unconscious 
of surrounding objects. When he is roused he 
looks vacantl}^ around, sometimes taking a lock 
of hay if offered to him, but before it is half mas- 
ticated the eye closes and he sleeps again, with 
the food in his mouth. Soon afterwards he is per- 



12 DISEASES OF 'THE HORSE 

liaps roused once more, the eye opens, but it lias 
an unmeaning glare, the hand is moved before it 
but it closes, and when spoken to he hears 
not. The last act of voluntary motion which he 
will attempt is usually to drink, but he has little 
power over the muscles of swallowing, and the 
fluid returns through the nostrils. He now be- 
gins to foam at the mouth, his breathing is labori- 
ous and loud, and is performed by the influence 
of the organic nerves, and those of animal life no 
longer lend their aid ; the pulse is slow and op- 
pressed, the jugular vein is distended almost to 
bursting, the muzzle is cold, and the discharge of 
the faeces involuntary ; he grinds his teeth ; 
twitchings steal over his face and attack his limbs, 
sometimes ending in dreadful convulsions, in which 
the horse beats himself about in a terrible manner ; 
but there is rarely a disposition to do mischief. 
In the greater number of cases these convulsions 
last but a short time All the powers of life are 
oppressed, and death speedily closes the scene. 

TBEATMENT. 

Whatever be the cause of the disease, bleeding 
is the first measure needed for treatment of stag- 
gers ; the overloaded vessels of the brain must be 
relieved. The jugular vein should be immediate- 
ly opened— it is easily got at, as it is large. The 
blood may be drawn from it in a full stream, and 
it being also the vessel through which the blood 
is returned from the head, the greater part of the 



AND HOW TO CURE THEM. 13 

quantity obtained will be taken immediately from 
the overloaded orf^an, and will tlierefore be most 
likely to produce the desired effect. The quantity 
of blood drawn should be about five or six quarts, 
according to the condition of the patient. He 
should have a do^e of the following physic ad- 
ministered in a drench : 

Barbadoes Aloes G drachms. 

Ginger 2 " 

Linseed Oil ^ pint. 

Sulphuric Ether 1 ounce. 

Laudanum 1 " 

After, the physic is taken have cloths dipped in 
cold water and applied to the head. The after 
treatment must be regulated by circumstances ; 
for some time the horse should be put on a re- 
stricted diet, mashes slrould be given, and green 
food in small quantity only ; a moderate allowance 
of hay, and very little grain. When sufficiently 
recovered he may be turned out with advantage 
on rather bare pasture. One circumstance how- 
ever should never be forgotten : that the horse 
who has once been attacked with staggers is liable 
to a return >of the complaint from causes that 
otherwise would not affect him, the distended 
vessels are weakened, the constitution is impaired, 
and prudence would dictate that such an animal 
should be disposed of soon as possible, 

— 1_.0. 



14 DISEASES OF THE HORSE 

MEGRIMS. 

This is another kind of pressure on the brain, re- 
sulting from an unusual determination or flow of 
blood to it, from various causes, of which the most 
common is violent exercise, while the horse is fat 
and full of blood, in that case more than the 
usual quantity being sent to the head. Sometimes 
it is caused by the harness — as where the collar is 
too small or the curb-rein too tight, the blood is 
prevented from returning from the head. The 
larger vessels of the brain will then be too long 
and injuriously distended, and (what is of more 
consequence) the small vessels that permeate the 
substance of the brain will be enlarged, and the 
bulk of the brain increased so that it will press 
upon the origins of the nerves and produce, almost 
without warning, loss of power and consciousness. 

SYMPTOMS. 

When the horse is driven rather quickl}^ he will 
without any premonitory symptoms suddenly stop, 
shake his head and exhibit evident giddiness and 
half-unconsciousness. This will soon pass over 
and he will go on as if nothing had happened. 
When the attack is more serious he will fall with- 
out the sUghtest warning, or suddenly run round 
in a circle once or twice and then fall, and will 
either lie insensible or struggle with the utmost 



AND HOW TO CURE THEM. 3 5 

violence. In five or ten minutes he will begin 
gradually to come to himself, and will get up and 
proceed with his work, 3^et appearing somewhat 
dull, and evidently much exhausted by the attack, 
although not seriously or permanently ill. 

TREATMENT. 

When you get him home four quarts of blood 
should be taken from the neck vein and the fol- 
lowing administered : 

Barbadoes Aloes 6 drachms. 

Ginger 2 " 

Gentian 2 " 

Linseed Oil .h pint. 

(To be given in one dose.) 

He should have the chill taken off his water for 
two or three days, when cold water may be given. 
If the horse can be spared the quantity of dry 
food should be lessened and mashes given, or he 
should have a run at grass. A predisposition to 
a second attack almost always remains, and it is 
a long time before the blood vessels recover their 
tone. Experience has shown that a horse that has 
had a second attack of the Megrims is never to 
be trusted. 



:o*. 



INFLAMMATION OF THE BRAIN. 

Inflammation of the brain or its membranes, or 
both, sometimes occurs, and of the membranes 
oftenest when botli are not involved. The symp- 



16 DISEASES OF THE HOBSE 

toms are almost precisely those of apoplexy, ex- 
cept that the plireiietic horse is not quite so leth" 
argic ; he sees a little better, will shrink more from 
the whip, and the disease runs its course more rap- 
idly. In apoplexy, from distention of the stom- 
ach, twenty-four or thirty-six hours will elapse 
before a cure, I'upture of the stomach, or the des- 
truction of the horse. If it proceeds merely from 
an oppression of the digestive organs and the S3'm- 
]:)athy which subsists between the stomach and 
brain, it may run on for two or three days, but the 
apoplexy of the phrenetic horse will often run its 
course in a few hours. 

SYMPTOMS. 

The animal whirls round and round, and plunges 
and falls, he seizes his clothing and rends it in 
pieces, and is perhaps destitute of feeling and of 
consciousness. He bites and tears himself, dart- 
ing furiously at everything within his reach, but 
no intelii2:ence seems to mingle*with or o;overn his 
fury. These attacks and remissions continue for 
an uncertain peiiod, until if not relieved he be- 
comes unable to rise, and lies panting and foam- 
ing till at length, completely exhausted, he dies. 

TEEATMENT. 

Bleed fi'om the neck vein, take about 5 quarts, 
tlien give this dose of purgative medicine : 



AN J) now TO CUHK THMM. 17 

AloeK H dmohnui. 

Ginger 2 " 

LiiiHeed Oil ^ pint. 

Ether 1 ounce. 

Laudanum 1 *' 

Shak(> togetlicr in a bottle and give as a drink : 
then a])ply a blistei' under tlie mane and on botli 
sides, and ap])ly cloths dipped in cold water to the 
top of the head. 

:0: 

RABIES OK MADNESS. 

This is another and feaiful disease of tlie ner- 
vons system ; it resnlts from the bite of a labid 
animal, and most commonly of tlie companion 
and friend of the horse, the coacih dog. 

SYMPTOMS. 

Th(^ earliest and perha})S the most decisive 
symptom of the near approach of rabii^s in a 
horse is a spasmodic movement of the uy)per lip, 
particularly of 1h(» angles of the lip. Close fol- 
lowing on this, or contemporaneous with it, is a de- 
pressed and anxious countenance and inquiring 
gaze, suddenly lighting up and becoming tierce 
and menacing from some unknown €ause or at the 
approach of a stranger. The eyes will occasion- 
ally wandei- aftei' some imaginary objt^ct, and the 
horse will snap again and again at that winch has 
no real existen(re ; then will come the irrepressi- 
ble desire to bite the attendants or the animals 



18 DISEASES OF THE HORSE 

Within- its reach. The attack then passing off, he 
will go to his work and for a short time will per- 
form it as well as he had been accustomed to do ; 
then all at once he trembles, heaves, paws, stag- 
gers and falls. Almost immediately he rises, drags 
his load a little farther and again stops, looks 
about him, backs, staggers and falls once more. 
This is not a fit of megrims ; it is not a sudden 
determination of blood to the brain, for the horse 
is not for a single moment insensible. The sooner 
he is led home the better, for the progress of the 
disease is as rapid as the first attack is sudden, 
and possibly he will fall twice or thrice before he 
reaches the stable. Then will come the irrepressi- 
ble desire to bite the attendants or the animals 
within its reach. To this will succeed the demoli- 
tion of the racks, the manger and the whole fur- 
niture of the stable, accompanied by the peculiar 
dread of water which has been already alluded 
to. 

Towards the close of the disease there is gen- 
erally paralysis, usually confined to the loins and 
the hinder extremities, or involving those organs 
which derive their nervous influence from this por- 
tion of the spinal cord — hence the distressing and 
ineff'ectual attempts to stool which are occasion- 
ally seen. The disease rareh'- extends beyond the 
third day. There is no cure for this complaint, 
and the sooner the animal is destroyed the better. 



AND HOW TO CURE THEM. 1^ 

TETANUS OR LOCKED JAW. 

This is one of tha most dreadful diseases to 
which the horse is subject. It is called locked 
jaw because the muscles of the jaw are first af- 
fected and the mouth is obstinately and immova- 
bly closed. It is a constant spasm of all the 
voluntary muscles and particularly of those of 
the neck, the spine and the head. It is gen- 
erally slow and treacherous in its attack; the 
horse for a day or two does not appear to be 
quite well ; he does not feed as usual ; partly 
chews his food and drops it,^ and he gulps 
his water. The owner at length finds that the mo- 
tion of the jaws is considerably limited and some 
saliva is drizzling from the mouth ; if he tries he 
can only open the mouth a very little ways, as the 
jaws are rigidly closed, and thus the only period 
at which the disease could have* been successfully 
combatted is past. 

SYMPTOMS. 

Permanent rigidity of certain voluntary muscles, 
and especially of the lower jaw; the mouth is 
kept closely shut, the masseter muscles feeling as 
hard as a board ; one or both sides of the neck are 
rigid, in the former case the head being turned to 
one side and in the latter stretched out as if carved 
in marble ; the nostrils are dilated, the eyes re- 



20 DISEASES OF THE HORSE 

tracted, with the haws thrust forward over them ; 
the ears erect and stiff, and the countenance as if 
horror-struck. At first the extremities are seldom 
involved, but as the disease progresses control 
over them is lost, and they soon become rigid like 
the neck and head. The patient is at this time 
scarcely able to stand, and plants his feet widelj^^ 
apart to support himself. The tail next becomes 
a fixture, while the pulse varies a good deal, in 
some cases being quick, small and hard, and in 
others slow and labored. The bowels are gen- 
erally costive. and the urine scanty, but this last 
symptom is not so well marked as the condition of 
the bowels. 

9 

TREATMENT. 

Keep the horse quiet; give him 30 drops of 
prussic acid on a tablespoonful of honey ; put 
it on the top of the tongue, three times a day ; 
then give him the following : Vinegar one pint, 
sulphuric acid one ounce, shake in a bottle and 
inject in the mouth about one gill three times, and 
let him have all the water he will suck through 
his mouth ; then apply this liniment : 

Ammonia 2 ounces. 

Spirits of Wine 3 " 

Turpentine 2 " 

Vinegar 6 " 

Mix together in a bottle and apply from ear to 
ear, on each side of the neck, and on the back. 
If he is costive give clysters. It is not necessary 



AND HOW TO CURE THEM. 31 

to bleed or give chloroform, aloes, epsom salts, or 
the host of other things sometimes recommended : 
the more simple the medicine the better it will be. 
I have never lost a case with this treatment wdien 
1 had it in the start. 

:o: 

CRAMP. 

This is a sudden, involuntary and painful spasm 
of a particular muscle, occasionally attacking the 
muscles of organic life. 

SYMPTOMS, 

In its most common form it only affects the hind 
extremities, where it is recognized by the temporary 
lameness and stiffness it produces in the hard 
worked horse as he is first led out of the stable in 
the morning. He will be quite stiff for a time, but 
will travel all right after a time. If any lameness 
remains, it can be ascertained by pressing the parts 
with the hand ; if he flinches and appears to be 
sore in some particular place, that will be the seat 
of the disease. 

TREATMENT. 

Spirits of Wine 4 ounces. 

Spirits of Turpentine 2 " 

Origanum Oil 2 " 

Aqua Ammonia 2 " 

Vinegar 6 " 

Mix together and apply to the tender places, 
rubbing well in with the hands, and giving the 



22 DISEASES OF THE HORSE 

horse a wider and more comfortable stall, as nar- 
row stalls are sometimes the origin of the diffi- 
culty. 



STRINGHALT. 

This is a sudden and spasmodic action of some 
of the muscles of the thigh. When the horse is 
first led from the stable, one or both legs are 
caught up at every step with great rapidity and 
violence, so that the fetlock sometimes touches the 
belly ; but after the horse has been out a little 
while this generally goes off and the natural action 
of the animal is restored. In some cases it does not 
perfectly disappear after exercise, but. the horse 
continues to be slightly lame. Stringhalt is not a 
perfectly involuntary action of a certain muscle or 
set of muscles. The limb is flexed at the command 
of the will, but it acts to a greater extent and with 
more violence than the will had prompted. No 
treatment is of the slightest avail. 



-:o: 



FITS OR EPILEPSY. 

The stream of nervous influence sometimes moves 
rapidly, and occasionally suspensions are consider- 
able ; this constitutes flts or epilepsy. Fortunately 
the horse is not often afflicted with this disease, al- 
though it is not unknown to the breeder. 



AND HOW TO CURE THEM. 23 

• SYMPTOMS. 

The animal stops, trembles, looks vacantly 
around him and falls. Occasionally the convul- 
sions that follow are slight, at other times they are 
terribly violent. The head and fore part of the 
horse are most affected, and the contortions are 
very singular. In a few minutes the convulsions 
cease ; the animal gets up, looks around him with 
a kind of stupid astonishment, shakes his ears, 
and if in his stable, eats or drinks as if nothing 
had happened. 

TREATMENT. 

Bleed from the jugular vein about four quarts ; 
followed by a strong cathartic of aloes, 6 
drachms ; ginger, 2 drachms ; linseed oil, 1 pint ; 
then apply a blister behind the ears. Most 
veterinary writers say there is no cure for this com- 
plaint, but I have treated a great many in my 
practice, and have cured every one by the above 
treatment. 

:o: , 

PALSY. 
The same cause that produces epilepsy, some- 
times causes palsy. In this disease the power of 
the muscles is unimpaired, but the nervous energy 
is deficient. In the horse palsy is usually general 
and not confined to one sides as commonly occurs 
in the human subject. It generally attacks the 
hind extremities — the loin and the back oftenest 



24 DISEASES OF THE HORSE 

exhibiting its effect, because there are produced 
some of the most violent muscular eftorts, and 
there is the greatest movement and the least sup- 
port. It may consequently be taken as an axiom 
to guide the judgment of the owner that palsy in 
the horse almost invariably proceeds from disease 
or injury of the spine. On inquiry, it is almost 
invariably found that the horse had lately fallen, 
had been worked exceedingly hard, or that covered 
with perspiration, he had been left exposed to cold 
and wet. 

SYMPTOMS. 

It commences generally in one hind leg, or, 
perhaps both are equally affected. The animal can 
scarcely walk, stepping on his fetlocks instead of 
his soles, and staggering at every motion. At length 
he falls and is raised with difficulty, or often never 
rises again. The sensibility of the parts seems for 
awhile to be greatly increased, but in general this 
gradually subsides, till it sinks below the usual 
standard or ceases altogether. The muscles of the 
hinder extremities in palsy teel soft, and are as 
quiet as they would be after death. If the body 
is examined after death there will usually about 
the regions of the loins be inflammation of the mem- 
branes of the spinal cord or of the cord itself The 
medullary matter will be found of a yellow color 
or injected with spots of blood, or it will be soft- 
ened and have become semi-fluid. 



AND HOW TO CURE THEM. 26 

TEEATMENT. 

A strong cathartic should be given ; Aloes 8 
drachms, ginger 2 drachms, linseed oil 1 pint, 
spirits of nitre 2 ounces — to be given at one dose. 
Apply cloths rung out of hot water to the back 
and loins, and rub the following liniment to the 
back and loins : 

Spirits of Wine Bounces. 

Ammonia 2 " 

Spirits of Turpentine ..2 " 

Vinegar 6 " 

Then give every six hours half a pint of water 
in which is 2 ounces of spirits of nitre and 3 
drachms of nux vomica, and roll from side to side 
to keep from scalding. He will lie two or three 
days, and I' have known them^in severe cases to 
lie a week, and then get up and begin eating. Do 
not sling a palsied horse, it makes him worse ; give 
him anything he will eat. 

:0: 

RHEUMATISM. 

It is only of late years that this has been ad- 
mitted into the list of the diseases of the horse, 
although it is in truth a very common affection. 
It is frequent in old horses that have been early 
abused, and among younger ones, whose powers 
have been severely taxed ; the lameness is frequent 
and excessive, and the pain is evidently excrucia- 
ting. 

4 



26 DISEASES OF THE HORSE 

SYMPTOMS. 

The animal will not rest the slightest portion of 
its weight on the limb, or even touch the ground 
with his toe ; he heaves at the flanks, sweating 
profusely, his countenance plainly indicating the 
agony he feels, but there is at first n o heat or 
swelling, or tenderness. With proper treatment 
the pain and lameness gradually disappear. 

TREATMENT. 

Give of aloes 8 drachms, ginger 2 drachms, gen- 
tian 2 drachms, nitre 2 drachms, with warm water, 
half a pint. Then apply warm fomentations to 
the affected parts, afterwards applying a liniment 
composed of ammonia 2 ounces, spirits of wine 3 
ounces, spirits of turpentine 2 ounces, vinegar 6 
ounces ; rub briskly on affected parts once a day, 
and exercise daily if the weather is fine. 



OS^A-IPTEIIE?. II. 



Diseases of the JEye, 



IjsEASES of the eye constitute a very impor- 
tant, but most unsatisfactory division of 
this work, for the maladies of this organ, 
although few in number, are frequent in 

their appearance, 'and are sadly obstinate, often 

baffling all skill. 




•:o:- 



WOUNDS. 

Occasionally the substance around the eye is 
wounded by a fork, or other sharp instrument, 
and inflammation ensues. This should be 
abated by poultices, and bleeding, and physic ; 
but no probe should be used in such a place. 

The eyelids are subject to occasional inflamma- 
tion from blows or other injuries. Cold applica- 
tion to the eye will here be serviceable. The fol- 
lowing lotion will answer the purpose : 

Vinegar 6 ounces. 

Spirits of Wine 3 " 

•Rain Water 6 " 

Apply to the eye, with a sponge, twice a day. 



28 DISEASES OF THE HORSE . 

The horse has occasionally a scaly eruption on 
the edges of the eyelids, attended with great itch- 
ing. In the effort to allay this by rubbing, the 
eye may be blemisl^ed, but the application of the 
following lotion will set it all right : Vinegar one- 
half pint, soft water one pint ; heat it warm, and 
apply to the eye twice a day. In two or three days 
the eye wdll be cured. 

The eyelids will sometimes become puffed up 
with a serous humor. Horses fed in low, wet 
pastures, and old carriage horses are subject to it : 
and sometimes it is the result of badly treated in- 
flammation. The lids should be well bathed with 
warm water. • t 

Weakness, and dropping of the upper lid, is 
caused by diminution, or loss of power in its 
muscles. Dry friction, and the application of the 
following lotion will restore the tone of the eye : 

Spirits of Wine Bounces. 

Water 3 " 

Sugar of Lead 20 grains. 

Apply to the eye, with a sponge, twice or thrice a day. 

Warts are sometimes attached to the edges of 
the lids, and are a source of great irritation. 
When rubbed they bleed, and they are propagated 
by blood. They should be taken off with a sharp 
pair of scissors, and their roots touched with lunar 
caustic. . 



AND HOW TO CURE THEM. 29 

INFLAMMATION OF THE EYE. 

The conjunctiva is occasionally the seat of much 
disease, and that too which is often destructive to 
the eye. Inflammation may be considered under 
two forms : The common and manageable, and 
the specific and fatal. 

SYMPTOMS. 

Inflammation is generally sudden in its attack ; 
the lids will be found swelled, and the eyes par- 
tially closed, and weeping ; the inside of the lid 
will be red, with some red streaks visible on the 
white of the eye, and the cornea slightly dim. 
This is occasionally connected with some degree of 
catarrh or cold, but it is as often unaccompanied 
by^'this, and depends on external irritation, as a 
blow or the presence of a bit of hay seed or oat 
huck within the lid. 

TREATMENT. 

The following lotion, applied twice a day, will 
usually abate the evil, or the inflammation will 
subside of itself in a few days : 

Vinegar 6 ounces. 

Spirits of Wine 3 " 

Tincture of Opium 2 " 

Distilled Water 4 " 

Shake well before applying. 

:o: 

OPHTHALMIA, OR MOON BLINDNESS. 

Should three or four days pass, and the inflam- 
mation not be abated, we may begin to suspect 



30 DISEASES OF THE HOUSE 

that it is ophthalmia, especially if the eye is very 
impatient of light, and the cornea is considerably 
clouded. The aqueous humor often loses its trans- 
parency, and even the iris changes its color, while 
the pupil is exceedingly contracted. 

SYMPTOMS. 

The first symptom is a dullness of the eye or 
eyes ; sometimes one eye is aflected, and some- 
times both ; a deeply -seated cloudiness appears, 
next the eye is closed, and then it begins to weep. 
It will be so for five or six days, when it will clear 
up, and to all appearance is as before, except that 
the eye is not so perfectly restored, and a slight 
deeply -seated cloudiness begins to appear, and 
after repeated attacks and alternations of disease 
from eye to eye, the affair terminates in opacity of 
the lens or its capsule, attended with perfect blind- 
ness either of one eye or both. This affection 
was formerly known by the name of Moon Blind- 
ness, from its periodical return. That body, how- 
ever, has not and cannot have anything to do 
with it. 

TREATMENT. 

Bleed from the jugular vein six quarts, and 
apply the following lotion twice or thrice a day to 
the affected organ, with a syringe, injecting it 
under the lens : 

StUphate of Zinc | drachm. 

Extract of Belladona .20 drops. 

Rose Watpr 2 pint. 



AND HOW TO CURE THEM. 31 

Roweling the cheeks, or anything of the kind, 
is unnecessary. I have cured the very worst cases 
with the above simple treatment. 

:o: 

GUTTA SERENA. 

• This is another species of blindness. It is more 
commonly called glass eye. 

SYMPTOMS. 

The pupil is more than usually dilated, and is 
immoveable, bright and glassy. This is caused 
by palsy of the optic nerve, or its expansion. It 
is usually produced by a determination of blood 
to the head, as by a blow on the side of the head, 
or by anything that will injure the functions of the 
optic tierve. 

TREATMENT. 

Apply the following lotion to the affected eye 
three times a day : 

Spirits of Nitre 1 ounce. 

Tincture of Opium 1 " 

Strychnine 10 grains. 

Shake well before using. Apply with a feather to 
the ball of the eye. 



CHEj^IPTEI^ III. 



Injuries and Diseases of the Ear. 




RUISES and wounds of the ear are usually 
the consequence of careless or brutal treats 
ment, but are occasionally caused by the 
application of the twitch or the pliers. These 
bruises or wounds will generally speedily heal, 
but sinuses and abscesses are sometimes the result. 
A simple laceration of the cartilage is easily reme- 
died by bringing together the divided edges, and 
tying the head up closely for a few days. If 
sinuses or abscesses are established, apply this 
lotion twice a day with a feather : Chloride of 
zinc 2 grains, to an ounce of water. 



DEAFNESS. 

Of the occasional existence of this disease in the 
horse there is no doubt. The beautiful play of 
the ears ceases, and the horse hears not the voice 
of his master or the sound of the whip. Much of 



AND HOW TO CURE THEM. 33 

tlie apparent stupidity of a few horses is attribu- 
table to their imperfect hearing. It is the result of 
certain diseases, and of blows, and as in other 
domesticated animals, is the certain accompani- 
ment of old age. It can be alleviated by apply- 
ing five drops of spirits of nitre twice every other 
day for a week. 



OHZ-A-DPTEK. IV. 



Diseases of the N^ose and Mouth, 




NASAL POLYPUS. 

lY the Polypus, is meant an excrescence or 
tumor, varying in size, structure and con- 
sistence, and attached by a pedicle to the 
mucous surface. 

SYMPTOMS. 

Nasal Polypus is a pendulous sac which forms 
in the nostril, and is only attached to the mem- 
.braneous lining of the nose at the upper end, 
hanging down in the nostril. It becomes so large 
as to obstruct the breathing, for it must be re- 
membered that a horse cannot breathe through 
the mouth. 

TREATMENT. 

The only cure is to take zinc wire and bend it in 
such a shape as to work it up above the sac to the 
neck or small part, and draw it tight around it 
and leave it, and it will slough off in a few days ; 
then inject up the nostril, for three or four days, a 



AND HOW TO CURE THEM. . 3/> 

solution of carbolic acid, 1 drachm to 6 ounces of 
water. This will prevent its growing again. 



NASAL GLEET, OR DISCHARGE FROM THE NOSE. 

There is a constant secretion of fluid to lubricate 
and moisten the membrane that lines the cavity of 
the nose, which, during catarrh or cold, is increased 
in quantity, and altered in appearance and con- 
sistence. 

SYMPTOMS. • 

A discharge from tiie nostrils takes place. 
Sometimes only one nostril, but more common- 
ly both are affected. The discharge will vary 
in color and quantity, sometimes being nearly 
white, at other times being yellow, or even a dark 
brown ; it generally has no bad smell, except in 
severe cases, when it is very offensive. It does not 
seem to affect the general health of the horse in 
the commencement, but in the last stages the horse 
will run down and loose flesh, unless well cared 
for, and if the disease is not properly attended to 
there is danger of its terminating in glanders. It 
is caused by exposure, or is the result of distem- 
per, or it may result from a blow or injury to the 
head. 

TREATMENT. 

Sulphate of Copper 2 ounces. 

Ginger 4 " 

Gentian 4 " 

Alum 4 *' 



36 • DISEASES OF THE HORSE 

Mix well together, and give a tablespoonful 
night and morning in a hot bran mash ; he will be 
all right in a few days. 

:o: 

CATARRH. 

This is a light inflammation of the nasal mucous 
membrane, commencing with a chill and loss of 
appetite, sneezing and snorting, dimness of the eyes 
and the discharge of the watery mucus, which 
sometimes stops up the nostrils ; he coughs and 
refuses to eat, and his cosffi is staring. By placing 
the ear to the side of the neck a loud rattling will 
be heard in the air passage ; if it is not attended 
to it will affect the lungs. 

TREATMENT. * . 

Blanket and keep warm ; give four quarts of 
cold water with 10 drops of aconite, twice a day ; 
feed a hot bran mash with one tablespoonful of 
nitrate of potesh in it. 

:o: — '• 

STRANGLES, OR HORSE DISTEMPER. 

This is a disease principally incident to 3^oung 
horses, although occasionally^ appearing among 
old ones ; oftener in the spring than any other part 
of the year. 

SYMPTOMS. 

It is preceded by cough, and can at first be 



AND HOW TO CUBE THEM. 37 

scarcely distinguished from common cough, except 
that there is more discharge from the nostrils of a 
yellowisli color, mixed with pus, and generally 
without smell. There is likewise a considerable 
discharge of ropy fluid from the mouth, and greater 
swelling than usual under the throat ; this swelling 
increases with uncertain rapidity, accompanied 
by some fever and disinclination to eat, partly 
arising from the fever, but more from the pain 
which the animal feels in the act of mastication ; 
there is considerable thirst, but after a gulp or two 
the water generally returns through the nostrils, 
but not in every case. In the attempt to swallow, 
and sometimes when not drinking, a convulsive 
cough comes on which almost suffocates tjie ani- 
mal, and hence the name of the disease. 

TREATMENT. ' 

As soon as the tumor under the jaw ia decidedly 
apparent, the part should be actively blistered ; 
give in a hot bran mash one tablespoonful of nitrate 
of potash, with ginger one teaspoonful ; give cold 
water and keep warm. Do not open the swelling 
under the throat, but let it break of its own accord. 
If you open it before it breaks, it will swell and 
break again ; but if left to itself, it runs out and 
leaves the horse all right. 

-:o:- 



38 DISEASES OF THE HORSE 

GLANDERS. 
The most formidable of all the diseases to which 
the horse is subject is glanders. It has been known 
from earliest antiquity. 

SYMPTOMS. 

First Stage. — The earliest symptom of glan- 
ders is an increased discharge from the nostrils, 
small in quantity, but constantly flowing ; of a 
watery character, with a little mucus mingled witli 
it. 

Second Stage. — Matter is discharged from one, 
or in some cases from both nostrils, of a grayish 
or greenish color, mixed with yellow streaks and 
spots, and sometimes with a little blood. It adheres 
to the borders of the nose like glue. The quantity 
depends upon the amount of labor the animal is» 
compelled to perform. On the sides where the dis- 
charge takes place, and under the jaw, a painless, 
round, and generally firmly adhering glandular 
swelling, of the size of a hen's ^gg^ or smaller, is 
noticed. If he discharges from both nostrils, the 
swelling is seen on both sides. This is a certain 
symptom of glanders. 

Third Stage. — The discharge from the nostril 
is doxibled ; his appetite is lost ; his eyes are 
sunken ; his coat looks unthrifty ; his legs be- 
come swollen ; tumors break out in different parts 
of the body ; he becomes one mass of corrupt mat- 
ter, and death ends the scene. 



AND HOW TO CURE THEM. 39 

TREATMENT. 

Give in a hot bran mash twice a day the follow- 
ing : 

Soda ; | ounce. 

Powdered Spanish flies 5 grains. 

Put two ounces of carbolic acid into a basin 
or other suitable vessel ; hold it under the 
horse's head and pour three ounces of sulphuric 
acid on it, and let the patient inhale the gas. If 
he shows symptoms of coughing and choking, 
withdraw the basin for a few minutes, and then 
apply it again. At first it will increase the dis- 
charge, but it will ultimately diminish it. If fol- 
lowed up faithfully for a month, it will cure the 
very worst case. I have cured cases that had been 
given up by veterinary surgeons who had them 
under treatment for a year, and they were still 
getting worse. I have cured them when they were 
given up to be taken out and shot. 

FARCY. 

This disease appears to depend upon the develop- 
ment of the same poison as glanders, but the 
elimination is made in the skin instead of in the 
mucous membrane lining the nose. A horse inocu- 
lated with glanders may exhibit farcy, and a horse 
inoculated with farcy may exhibit glanders. 

SYMPTOMS. 

Farcy usually shows itself first by one or two 
small hard knots in the skin called farcy buds. 



40 DISEASES OF THE HORSE 

These soon soften and contain a small quantity of 
pus, but as this rapidly absorbs, the lymphatics 
which convey it into the circulation inflame, and at 
a short distance another bud is formed, and then 
another and another. These buds are met with in 
the thin skin covering the inside of the thighs and 
neck and lips. They vary from the size of a pea 
to that of an ^gg, and as they increase in numbers 
the skin becomes edematose. ""In process of time 
the general system suifers as in glanders, and the 
horse dies — a miserable worn out object. In the 
first stages give night and morning one tablespoon- 
ful of the following powder in a hot bran mash ; 

Nitrate of Potash 4 ounces. 

Gmger and Gentian, each 2 " 

8nlphate of Copper and Alum, each 2 *' 

Powdered Spanish flies 1 drachm. 

:o: 

THE LIPS. 

THe lips of the horse are far more important 
organs than many suppose ; they are the hand of 
the animal, and without them he could not convey 
his food to his mouth. The lips are composed of 
a muscular substance which gives strength, and a 
multitude of small glands which secrete a fluid that 
covers the inside of the lips and gums, in order to 
prevent friction, and to furnish the moisture so 
necessary for the proper chewing of the food. The 
corners or angles of the lips are sometimes wound- 



AND now TO CURE THEM. 41 

ed by the tightness of the bearing rein, or by 
sharp or badly formed bits ; and inflammation or 
ulcers in the mouth usually follow contusions thus 
inflicted. The application of the following lotion 
twice a day will set all right in a few days : 

Carbolic Acid 1 ounce. 

Water 10 " 



-:o:- 



LA MP ASS. 
Tlie bars of the mouth occasionally swell and 
rise to a lev^el with and even beyond the edge of 
the teeth, becoming very sore, and causing the 
horse to feed badly on account of the pain he suf- 
fers from the pressure of the food on the tender 
parts. This is called lampass. It may arise from 
inflammation of the gums extending to the bars 
connected with them ; or in other cases from a 
slight febrile tendency in the constitution, as when 
a young horse has lately been taken up from grass 
and has been over-fed and not sufficiently exer- 
cised. At times it appears in aged horses, for the 
process of growth in the teeth of the horse is con- 
tinued during the whole lifetime of the animal. 

TREATMENT. 

A few slight incisions across the bars with the 
pen-knife will remove the inflammation and cause 



42 DISEASES OF THE HORSE 

the swelling to subside. Give one tablespoonful 
of the following night and morning in a hot bran 
mash : 

Nitrate of Potash .1^ ounces. 

Gentian 1^ " 

Ginger 1^ ** 



OI3:.A.I=^TEK. "V, 



jyiseases of the Tongue and Teeth, 



^^j^HE tongue is frequently lacerated by care- 
lessness in administering medicine, by the 
bit, and sometimes by being bitten by the ani- 
mal itself. A little alum dissolved in water 
(or if the wound is not serious unassisted nature) 
will heal the parts. 

Purple colored vesicles or bladders sometimes 
appear along the under side of the tongue, and 
increase to considerable size ; the tongue will be 
enlarged so that it becomes difficult to swallow, 
and a great quantity of ropy saliva will drizzle 
from the mouth. Lance the vesicles freely and 
deeply from end to end, and they will soon disap- 
pear, and the little fever that remains may be sub- 
dued by giving once per day ten drops of tincture 
of aconite in four quarts of cold water. 



U DISEASES OF THE HORSE 

THE TEETH. 

Caries, or hollow teeth, are occasionally, but 
not often, seen in the horse ; but the edges of the 
grinders, from the wearing of the enamel or the 
irregular growth of the teeth, become rough and 
wound the inside of the cheek ; it is then necessary 
to rasp them smooth. Many bad ulcers have been 
produced in the mouth by neglect of this. The 
teeth sometimes grow irregular in length — particu- 
larly the grinders — from not meeting the proper 
opposition of the corresponding tooth in the other 
jaw ; these sometimes penetrate the bars, causing 
ulceration, and at other times interfering partially 
or entirel}^ with the grinding motion of the jaw. 
These teeth should be reduced to the level of the 
others with a saw, and occasionally looked to, 
because the difficulty will return. Horses often pine 
away from this unsuspected cause ; every horse 
that grows thin without apparent cause — especial- 
ly if he partly chews and then drops his feed — 
should be looked to in this particular. Yery 
irregular teeth lessen the value of a horse ; decayed 
teeth should be removed to prevent injury to the 
other teeth and to the jaw ; the hammer and 
punch should never be resorted to in this opera- 
ion, but a keyed instrument should be used, like 



AND HOW TO CUBE THEM. 45 

tliat emploj^ed oil the Imman subject, only on a 
larger scale. 



-:o:- 



THE AGE OF THE HORSE 

Is judged from his teeth, and from certain exter- 
nal marks on them, on his jaws, etc. A few days 
aftei- birth the foal cuts four front teeth, two above 
and two below, and shortly after four more on each 
side. Up to the age of nine months he cuts four 
additional teeth in the same order, and these 
twelve teeth are termed milk teeth. At the age of 
two and a half to three years, the animal sheds 
the first four milk teeth, and four somewhat darker 
colored teeth, termed incisors, take their places ; 
at this age stallions cut their canine teeth, which 
begin to lose their sharp edges when the horse is 
six years old, and at the age of ten have become 
quite blunted ; in mares the corner teeth are want- 
ing or they are very short. The last milk teeth are 
shed at four and a half or five years, and are re- 
placed by the corner teeth. From this period the 
age of the horse is judged from depressions on the 
permanent teeth termed marks ; the older the horse 
the more the marks become worn and effaced, and 
inasmuch as the lower jaw is used more than the 
upper, the marks on the lower teeth are obliterated 



46 DISEASES OF THE HORSE 

sooner than those on the upper. At five and a 
lialf or six years, th'fe marks on the lower canine 
teeth are entirely effaced ; at six years and a 
half or seven 3^ears, they disappear on both the 
lower central teeth ; at seven and a half to 
eight years, on the lower corner teeth ; at eight 
and a half or nine, the marks on the two upper 
incisors become obliterated ; at nine and a half to 
ten years, they disappear on the two corner teeth ; 
at eleven to fifteen, both the upper and lower, 
middle and corner teeth become blunted and 
triangular ; at fifteen to twenty, all the middle and 
corner teeth become flat and obliquely inclined 
towards the muzzle ; they look yellow, and are 
covered with sordes : at the age of twenty and 
upwards,the teeth become more and more flattened, 
and are worn even as far as the alneoli^ and are 
completely oblique. Other signs by whicli an old 
horse can be known from a young one, are : If 
he is under ten the bottom of the jaw will be round 
and blunt ; if over ten, the jaws will be sharper ; 
at fifteen they are quite sharp : at twenty and 
thirty they will be as sharp as tlie edge of a silver 
three cent piece. 




— .^» — ^ 

Diseases of the Week and Neighboring 

I*arts, 

POLL EVIL. 
^ROM the horse rubbing or striking his poll 
against the lower end of the manger, or 
hanging back in the stall and bruising the 
part with the halter, or trom the frequent 
and painful stretching of the ligaments and mus- 
cles by unnecessarily tight reining, and occa- 
sionally Irom a violent blow on the poll, inflamma- 
tion ensues, amd a swelling appears — hot, ten- 
der and painful. It was formerly a disease of 
frequent occurrence, but it is now — from better 
treatment of the animal— comparatively rare. 

SYMPTOMS. 

A swelling appears back of the ears which are 
hot, tender and painful ; and the horse will pro- 
trude his nose. Sometimes it is on one side of the 
poll, and sometimes on both. 



48 DISEASES OF THE HORSE 

TEEATMENT. 

If the swelling is just commencing, apply the 
following lotion, which will disperse the enlarg- 
ment : 

Soft Soap '. 6 ounces. 

Tincture Iodine 2 " 

Apply once a day, until cured. 

If tile tumor has come to a head and is dist^harg- 
ing, apply once a day the following : 

Spirits of Wine 6 ounces. 

Aloes 1 " 

Gum Benzoin 1 " 

Powdered Myn'h ^ " 

Water S' '• 

Apply to the wound twice a day, with a feather. 

They do not want medicine, as some writers say ; 
all they need is simple treatment, to cure the worst 
cases. 

:o: 

INFLAMMATION OF THE VEIN, 

It is usual and proper after bleeding,- to bring 
the edges of the wound carefully together, and to 
hold them in contact by inserting a pin through 
the skin with a little tow twisted around it. In 
ninety -nine cases out of a hundred the wound 
quickly heals, and gives no trouble ; but in a few 
instances inflammation of the vein may ensue from 
using a blunt instrument, or a dirty or rusty one, 
or striking too hard and bruising the vein, or in 
the act of pinning up, pulling the skin too far 



AJS^n HOW TO CUBE THEM. 49 

from the neck, and suffering some blood to insinii- 
ate itself into the cellular texture. 

SYMPTOMS. 

A slight bleeding appears, and slight tumefac- 
tion commences, the edges of the orifices sepa- 
rate and become swollen and red ; a discharge of 
sanious, bloody fluid proceeds from the wound, 
followed, perhaps in a few days, by purulent mat- 
ter ; the neck swells, and is hot and tender both 
above and below the incision, the lips of the wound 
become everted, the swelling increases, particu- 
larly above the wound, where the vein is most 
hard and cordy ; the horse begins to loathe his 
food, and little abscesses form around the orifice ; 
the cordiness of the vein rapidly increases ; not 
only the vein itself has become obstructed, and its 
coats thickened, but the cellular tissue is in- 
flamed and hardened, and is an additi«mal source 
of irritation and torture ; the thickening of the 
vein extends to the bifurcation above ; it occupies 
both branches and extends downwardto the chest, 
even to the very heart itself, and the patient dies. 

TKEATMENT. 

First give a dose of, aloes, 6 drachms ; ginger, 2 
drachms ; linseed oil, 1 pint. The vein should be 
carefully and long fomented until the swelling 
abates. After two or three days, if there is 
still some enlargement, apply once a day, for 
three days, an ointment of biniodide of mercury, 



50 DLSEAmS OF THE HORSE 

1 drachm ; lard, 1 ounce ; then wasli off and 
grease ; after the scab works . off if there is any 
enlargement, apply it again. 



■:o:- 



TRACHEOTOMY. 

It has been found that when an obstruction oc- 
curs in the windpipe of the horse, which cannot be 
removed in time for safety, a portion of the trachea 
may be removed at or below the point of obstruc- 
tion, to admit of the continuance of respiration. 
The operator should at once examine the whole 
course of the windpipe ; the different sounds which 
he will be able to detect by the application of the 
ear, and likewise the different degrees of tempera- 
ture and of tenderness which the fingers will 
detect, will guide to the seat of the evil. The hair 
is to be closely cut from the part, the skin tightened 
across the trachea with the thumb and fingers of the 
left hand, and then a longitudinal incision three 
inches in length cautiou si}' made through the skin. 
This is usually effected (when there is no express 
indication to the contrary) on the fifth and six rings, 
a slip from which and the connecting ligament 
above and below about half the width of each ring 
should be excised, with the intervening ligament ; 
the remaining portion will then be strong enough 
to retain the perfect arched form of the trachea. 
If the orifice is only to be kept open while some 



9 



AND HOW TO CURE THEM. 51 

foreign body is extracted, a tumor removed, or an 
ulcer healed, or inflammation subdued, nothing 
more is necessaiy than to keep the lips of the 
wound a little apart by passing some thread 
through each and slightly everting them and tying 
the threads to the mane. 



CH^IPTEI^ "VII. 



JDlseases of the Chest and JS/'eighborin(/ 

Parts, 




FISTULOUS WITHERS. 

JHEN the saddle has been suffered to press 
long upon the withers a tumor will be 
formed, which will be found to be very 
hot and exceedingl}^ tender. It may some- 
times be dispersed by the application recommend- 
ed for the treatment of poll evil ; but if in despite 
of this the swelling should remain stationary, and 
especially if it should become larger and more 
tend'^r, warm fomentations and poultices and stim- 
ulating embrocations should be diligently applied 
in order to hasten the formation of pus. As soon 
as that can be fairly detected, a seton should be 
passed from the top to the bottom of the tumor so 
that the whole of the matter may be evacuated 



AND HOW TO (JUKE THEM. 53 

and continue to be discharged as it is afterwards 
formed ; or the knife may be freely used in order to 
get at the bottom of every sinus. The knife has suc- 
ceeded many times wlien the seton has failed. The 
after treatment must be precisely that which was 
recommended for a similar disease in the poll. 



:o: 



WARBLES, SITFASTS AND SADDLE GALLS 

On other parts of the back tumors and very 
troublesome ulcers may be produced by the pres- 
sure of the saddle. Those resulting from the pres- 
sure of the saddle are called warbles, and when 
the^^ ulcerate they frequently become sitfasts. 
Warbles are small circular bruises or extravasa- 
tions of blood where there has been an undue pres- 
sure of the saddle or harness, if a horse is sub- 
ject to these tumors, the saddle should remain on 
him two or three hours after he has returned to the 
stable. It is only for a certain time, however, that 
this wilf perfectly succeed, for by the frequent ap- 
plication of the pressure the skin and the cellular 
substance are bruised or otherwise injured, and a 
permanent sore or tumor of a very annbjing 
description takes place ; the center of the sore 
gradually loses its vitality; a separation takes 
place from the surrounding integument, and ther'e 
is a circular piece of dried and hard skin remain'- 
nig in the center. No effort m^ust be made to tear 



54 DISEASES OF THE HORSE 

or dissect it off, but apply twice a day a lotion of 
carbolic acid 1 ouuce, and water 19 ounces, and 
it will heal the sore, and the scab will gradually 
slough off. 



:o:- 



THE DIAPHRAGM. 

The interposed curtain extending across the 
cavity of the chest, between the thorax and abdo- 
men, is called the diaphragm. It is the main 
agent, both in ordinary and extraordinary respi- 
ration, and assists also in the expulsion of the 
urine, and it is a most powerful auxiliary in the 
act of parturition. It is subject to injury and dis- 
ease of a serious and varied character. Whatever 
may be the original seat of thoracis or abdominal 
ailment, the diaphragm soon becomes irritable and 
inflamed ; this accounts for the breathing of the 
liorse being is^o much affected under every inflam- 
mation or excitement of the chest or belly. 

SYMPTOMS. 

The irritability of this muscle is often evinced by 
a singular spasmodic action of a portion or the 
whole of it ; the horse breathes hard and short ; 
he lies down, looks at his sides, rises up again 
and sits on his haunches like a dog ; his breath- 
ing is labored ; he stands with his legs apart, and 
if water is offered him he will drink to excess. 



AND BOW TO CURE THEM. 56 

TREATMENT. 

Give the following every two hours, until better : 

Prussic Acid 20 drops. 

Sulphuric Ether 1 ounce. 

Laudanum 1^ 

With half a pint of cold water. 

:o:— 

HEART DISEASE. 

The best place to examine the beating of the 
heart is immediately behind the elbow, on the left 
side ; the hand applied flat against the , ribs will 
give you the number of the pulsations ; the ear ap- 
plied behind the elbow, on the left sid^, will en- 
able you to better ascertain the character of the 
pulsation. 

SYMPTOMS. 

If there are thumps of the heart they can be plain- 
ly seen ; in some cases they can be heard a con- 
siderable distance from the horse. Veterinary 
writers claim that there is no cure for this disease, 
but I have had numerous cases in my practice, and 
I have succeeded in curing them all. In fifty cases 
none of them returned the second time. 

TREATMENT. 

Prussic Acid .......20 drops. 

Laudanum 1 ounce 

Sulphuric Ether 1 

To be given in a pint of cold water. If not better 

in three hours, repeat the dose. i^ 

By placing the ear against the side you will 



5f» DISEASES OF THE HOitSE 

hear a flutter in the chest ; and the heart will 
beat like a fish in watei'. This is in cases 
wliere there is water around the heart. Apply 
blisters behind the arms two or three times, 
and give the following once a day on the oats : 

Alum 1 pound. 

Copperas 4 ounces. 

Ginger 6 

Gentian 6 

Mustard ^ " 

:o: 

FEVER. 

Fever is generally increased arterial action, 
either without any local affection, or in conse- 
quence of the sympathy of the system with inliam- 
mation in some peculiar part. The first is owing 
to bad f^table management, and general ill treat- 
ment, and to the susceptibility of various parts of 
the horse to become inflamed, and usually degen- 
erates into inflammation ; but fever purely is 
sometimes seen, and runs its course regularly. 

SYMPTOMS. 

It frequenth^ begins with a cold or shivering fit. 
although this is not invariable. The horse is dull, 
unwilling to move, has a staring coat, and coid 
legs and feet ; this is succeeded by warmth of the 
body ; unequal distribution of warmth in the 
legs, one hot and the other three cold, or one or 
more unnaturally warm and the others unnatur- 



AND HOW TO CUBE THEM. 57 

ally cold ; but not the deathlike coldness attend- 
ing inflammation of the lungs. The pulse is quick, 
soft, and often indistinct, the breathing somewhat 
laborious, but no cough or pawing, or looking at 
the flanks ; and the animal will scarcely eat, and 
is very costive. 

TREATMENT. 

Aconite 15 drops, given in 4 quarts of cold 
w^ater twice a day, and if very costive, give injec- 
tions. 



SPINAL MENINGITIS. 

The symptoms which characterize Spinal Men- 
ingitis are remarkably' distinctive ; in most cases 
the access of the disease has been more or less 
gradual, the development occupying from one to 
three days. 

SYMPTOMS. 

Pain in the spine is indicated by the horse fre- 
quently changing the position of the hind limbs. 
When led out of the stall he is perceived to mani- 
fest weakness in his hind-quarters, and reels 
slightly in his walk ; the back and loins are a lit- 
tle arched, and he is evidentl}^ unable to advance 
his hind legs under his body as in health ; this 
weakness is most perceptible in turning around. 
The pulse is soft, and sometimes slower than in 
health ; respiration is often slow and feebly per- 
formed, and in some cases paralysis api>ears to 



58 DISEASEH OF THE HORSE 

Spread forward, and the movement of all the limbs 
graduall}^ diminishes. In more severe cases the 
patient reluctantly gets down or falls, and then 
lies, struggling but little, his body at full length, 
his breathing slow and deep. In the course of 
tlie disease, however, nervous twitchings occur, 
and even violent convulsive action of the limbs is 
observed. When the disease is protracted delirium 
supervenes, and the discharge from the bladder is 
passed involuntarily, and he will lie with his head 
drawn back and his eyes staring. 

TREATMENT. 

Give 1 ounce of laudanum, 2 ounces of spirits of 
nitre and 1 ounce of sulphuric ether in a half 
pint of cold water, and if not better in three liours 
give another dose. Then apply hot cloths to the 
spine, keep blanketed warmly, and use the follow- 
ing liniment once a day until cured : 

Spirits of Wine 3 ounces. 

Ammonia 1 " 

Spirits of Turpentine... 1 " 

Spirits of Nitre 3 " 



oh:.a.fte3k. "\riii. 



I>iseases of the Hespiratory System, 




INFLAMMATION OF THE LARYNX. 
TRICTLY speaking, this refers to inflam- 
mation confined to the larynx, but either 
catarrh or bronchitis, or both, frequently ac- 
company the complaint. 

SYMPTOMS. 

Its approach is often insidious, scarcely to be 
distinguished from catarrh, except by being at- 
tended with mor^ soarness of the throat and less 
enlargement of the parotid glands ; there are also 
more decided and violent paroxysms of coughing 
than in common catarrh, attended by a gurgling 
noise which may be heard at a little distance from 
the horse, and which by auscultation is found to 
be referable to the larynx. The breathing is 
shorter and quicker, and evidently more painful 
than in catarrh ; the membrane of the nose is red- 



60 ' DISEASES QF THE HORSE 

der, being of a deep madder color. When the 
larynx is pressed upon, the paroxysms of cough- 
ing become more frequent and violent, and the 
animal appears at times almost suffo(^ating. As 
the soarness of the throat proceeds the head of the 
animal' is projected, and the neck has a peculiar 
stiffness ; there is also much difficulty in swallow- 
ing, considerable swelling of the larynx and 
pharynx ensue, and also of the parotid, sublingual 
and submaxillary glands. As the inflammation 
increases the cough becomes hoarse and feeble, 
and in. some cases is altogether suspended. At 
the commencement there is usually little or no 
running at the nose, but the secretion soon in- 
creases, and is generally mixed with ,an unusual* 
quantity of saliva. 

TREATMENT. 

Grive twice a day, in a hot bran mash, one table - 
spoonful of the following powder : 

Nihre of Potash 4 ounces. 

Digitalis .^. I " 

Mustard • .*. 3 " 

Ginger 2 •' 

Apply to the throat and breast once a day, the 
following liniment : 

Spirits of Wine 3 ounces. 

Spirits of Turpentine 2 " 

Ammonia 2 '* 

Vinegar..... 6 " 

:o: 



AND HOW TO CURE THEM. 61 

ROARING. 

The present will be the proper place to speak 
of that singular impairment of the respiratory 
functions recognized by this name. 

SYMPTOMS. 

• 

On caretully listening to the sound it will appear 
that the roaring is produced in the act of inspira- 
tion, and not in that of expiration. If the horse is 
briskly trotted, more particularly if he is hurried 
up hill, or if he is suddenly threatened with a 
stick, this peculiar sound will be heard and can- 
not be mistaken. The causes are tight reining, 
distemper, or inflammation of the larynx, or from 
hard running. If he is struck with the hand just 
behind the fore leg a loud grunt will be heard ; 
sometimes you. can drive him, and if he is not ex- 
cited he will not show any signs of roaring. It 
mostly affects carriage and high headed horses. 

TREATMENT. 

Rub the following liniment on the throat every 
other day : 

Ammonia 2 ounces. 

Spirits of Wine 3 " 

Spirits of Turpentine 2 " 

Vinegar 6 " 

Give one teacupful of this liquid, once a day, in 
a hot bran mash : 

Linseed Oil 1 qliart. 

Alum 4 ounces. 

Digitolis 1 " 

Arsenic 1 drachm 

Put in a bottle and shake well before using it. 



62 DISEASES OF THE HORSE 

BRONCHOCELE. 

• This is enlargement of the thyroid glands — two 
ovalibodies below the larynx and attached to the 
trachea, the use of which has never been satisfac- 
torily explained — they sometimes grow from the 
size of a hen' s egg to that of two goose eggs, and 
are general!}' attended hj cough or fever, or both. 

TREATMENT. 

The}^ can be removed by the repeated applica- 
tion of the following ointment, rubbed well into 
the lump once every other day : 

Lard 8 ounces. 

Iodine 1 " 

Cantharides, powdered 1 drachm. 

Mix well together, and use each time a piece about the size 

of a chestnut. 

:o: 

EPIDEMIC INFLUENZA. 

This disease usually prevails during a cold, wet 
spring, or one succeeding a mild winter ; and is 
prevalent among young horses and those in high 
condition, or that have been kept in hot stables or 
exposed to the usual causes of inflammation. 
Animals moderately worked and correspondingly 
fed, generally escape ; or even when it appears in 
most of the stables in adjoining districts, horses 
regularly worked and moderately fed (although 
not entirely exempt) are com para tivel}^ little 
affected. 



AND HOW TO CURE THEM. 68 

SYMPTOMS. 

The disease generally commences in the mem- 
brane of the nose, but involves the whole of the 
respiratory apparatus before it has been estab- 
lished twenty-four hours. It is frequently attend- 
ed with sore throat, the horse quiddinghisha}^ and 
gulping his water. There is seldom any great 
enlargement of the glands, the parotids are a little 
tumefied, the submaxillary somewhat more so, but 
not at all equivalent to the degree of soreness, 
wliich is so excessive that day after day the horse 
will obstinately refuse to eat. Discharge from the 
nose soon follows in considerable quantity — thick, 
very purulent and sometimes fetid — the breathing 
is accelerated and laborious at the beginning, but 
this does not always increase with the progress of 
the disease. Thus the malady proceeds for an uncer- 
tain period, occasionally for several days, and the 
animal dies, exhausted by extensive or general 
irritation. In other cases the inflammation assumes 
a local determination, and we have bronchitis or 
pneumonia of the lungs, but of no very acute 
character, and yet difficult to treat, from the general 
debility with which it is connected. • 

TEEATMENT. 

Give 10 drops of aconite in 4 quarts of cold 
water eYQiy 4 hours until four doses are given, then 
every seven hours till better ; give hot bran.masli 
twice a day with one tablespoonful of nitre of 
potash in. and one teaspoonful of ginger. ^Apply 



64 DISEASES OF THE ROUSE 

to the throat, breast and sides once a day the fol- 
k^wing liniment : 

Spirits of Wine 3 ounces. 

Ammonia 2 '' 

Vinegar 6 " 

Landanum 1 "" 

:o: 

BRONCHITIS. 

Bronchitis is an inflammation of the mucus mem- 
brane lining the bronchia, and almost invariably 
extending to these parts through the trachea from 
the larynx and nasal passages, which are primari- 
ly affected. 

SYMPTOMS. 

A haggard countenance and anxious look, the , 
respiration rapid, with a wheezing sound which can 
be heard at some distance ; the pulse raised to 
sixty or seventy ; the cough painful to the extreme, 
the eyes staring, the legs and ears not cold. He 
keeps his head up, and if he swallows anything, 
it will return through the nostrils ; the natural 
termination of this disease — if unchecked — is in 
pneumonia. 

TREATMENT. 

Fit a woolen cloth around the neck and keep 
warm. Give one teaspoonful of the following in 
half a pailful of cold water three times a day : 

Sulphuric Acid | ounce. 

Water 10 " 

PruBsic Acid 1 drachm. 



AND HO W TO CUBE THEM. 6r, 

Give hot bran mashes with a tablespoonfiil of 
the following powder twice a day : 

Nitre of Potash 6 ounces. 

Ginger 3 " 

Mustard 3 " 

Tartar Emetic 1 " 

Mix well together. 



INFLAMMATION OF THE LUNGS- 

The exact structure oF the lungs has never been 
satisfactorily demonstrated, but they appear to be 
composed of minute cells or pouches into which 
tile air is conducted ; and over tlie delicate mem- 
brane which constitute its divisions, myriads of 
minute blood vessels ramify. The blood is not 
merely permeating them, but is undergoing in 
them a vital change. Th^^re is a constant decom- 
position of the air and of blood, and during the 
excitement of exercise this decomposition proceeds 
witli great rapidity. It can readily be conceived 
that a membrane so delicate as this must be in 
perfect order, that its interposition shall be no 
hindrance to the arterialization of the blood, while 
it is so fragile, and so loaded with blood vessels, 
as to be exceedingly subject to inflammation, and 
that of a most dangerous character. 

SYMPTOMS. 

• Inliammation of the lungs commences by a chill 
or shivering fit, and the horse will stand back at 

9 



66 DISEASES OF THE HORSE 

the end of the halter with his head down and 
breathing hard ; his legs braced out as though 
afraid of falling. He will make no motion more 
than to occasionally turn his head slowly 
around to his side ; his legs and ears are cold, and 
the membrane of the nostril will have a very pale 
and sickly appearance. Place your ear to his 
right side and you will hear a rattling noise ; the 
pulse will raise to 0)6 or 75 (in health it is about 
thirty-six to forty), and he will not lie down till 
he gets better or dies. Inflammation of the lungs 
runs its course from one to seven days. The 
quieter you keep the patient the better. 

TREATMENT. 

Give 10 drops of aconite in one pint of cold water 
every hour for four hours, then give every two 
hours till better. Apply the following liniment to 
the sides and breast once a day : 

Spirits of Turpentine 3 ounces. 

Spirits of Wine 6 " 

Vinegar 3 " 

Ammonia , 2 " 

Shake well before using. 

Blanket and keep quiet, and pay no attention 
to what would-be advisers may say. Remember 
that competent advice about disease in men or 
horses, comes only from those who have obtained 
their knowledge by hard study, and who value it 
too highly to voluntarily give it away. 

:o: 



AND HOW TO CURE THEM. 67 

EPIZOOTIC OR CATARRHAL FEVER. 

The epizootic is not confined to any class or con- 
dition of horses, wliecher well cared for in stables 
or running at large in the fields. The disease is 
one of an atmospheric character, the exhalation 
•from the lungs of a single diseased horse will 
poison the atmosphere to such an extent that 
every other horse breathing it will sooner or later 
be affected in like manner. Its specific action is 
upon the mucous surface of all of the breathing 
apparatus, no part of which suffers more severely 
than that which is called the larynx, or upper tube 
of the lungs. The irritation at this point produces 
a spasmodic condition which makes the difficult}^ 
of breathing and induces the cough. 

SYMPTOMS. 

This disease is ushered in by a suffusion of the 
eyes, a chilly sensation, succeeded by heat and a 
slight hoarse cough. As it increases the difficulty 
of breathing becomes very great, and the strongest 
evidences of almost suffocation may be seen in the 
struggles of the muscular system to aid respiratory 
action. This difficulty of breathing is also attended 
with a continuous cough, which may last from a 
few hours to several days ; the surface is hot, and 
the pulse quick. In some cases a few hours may 
produce death when the disease is characterized 
by greater violence of all the preceding symptoms, 



68 DISEASES OF THE HORSE 

with tightness and dryness of the mucous surfaces, 
the want of secretions, a restless and uneasy con- 
dition, frequent and weak pulse, cold extremities, 
cahumy sweat, prostration, and finally death. A 
favorable change is indicated by the appearance of 
more or less secretion from the nostrils, which 
may be of a white or greenish appearance, either 
of which indicates that the congestion of the 
mucous surface has subsided, and if the strength 
of the horse is not too far destroyed he will recover. 
After these conditions have been established the 
cough becomes loose, losing the harsh ringing 
sound which characterizes the disease in its active 
form. 

TKEATMENT. 

Give hot bran mash twice a day with one table- 
spoonful of the following powder in it : 

Nitre of Potash 6 ounces. 

Ginger 3 " 

Mustard .5 '^ 

Tartar Emetic 1 " 

Digitalis 1 " 

Mix well together. 

Give in the water one teaspoonful, twice a day, of 
a mixture of sulphuric acid, 1 ounce, to twenty 
ounces of water. Apply to the breast and sides 
once a day the following liniment : 

Spirits of Turpentine 2 ounces. 

Ammonia 2 *' 

Spirits of Wine 3 *' 

Vinegar -.. 4 " 

Shake well before using. 



A^'D HOW TO CURE THEM. «9 

'CHUONIC DISEASES. 
It would occupy too much space to treat of all 
the causes of obstinate cough and irritability of the 
air passage occasioned by previous inflammation. 
It is also sometimes connected with worms, or is 
(.'aused by glanders, and is the necessary attendant 
of thick or broken wind. If a harsh, hollow cough, 
is accompanied by a staring coat and the appear- 
ance of worms, a few doses of the following will 
expell them : Spirits of turpentine, 8 ounces, oil of 
tar, 2 ounces. Put one teaspoonful in a hot bi-an 
mash once a day. If the cough proceeds from 
irritability of the air passages, which will be dis- 
covered by his coughing after drinking, or when 
he first goes out of the stable in the morning, give 
one tablespoonful of the following powder, twice 
a da}^ in a hot bran mash : 

Nitre of Potash 3 ouuces. 

Digitalis ^ " 

Tartar Emetic 1 " 

Ginger 2 " 

Mix well together. 

If it is a dr}^ cough, of long standing, give twice 
a day on oats for two or three days, a tablespoon- 
ful of the following : 

Linseed Oil , 6 ounces. 

Spirits of Turpentine 3 " 

Oil of Tar 2 " 

:0: 



7(' DISEASES OF THE HORSE 

HEAVES. 

Heaves are brought on by anything that will 
create irritation of the lungs, such as being much 
in the dust, taking cold, musty hay, eating large 
quantities of food and being fast driven immedi- 
ately afterwards ; or anj^thing that produces irrita- 
tion of the lungs or causes the mucous membrane 
lining the cells of the lungs to become thickened, 
thereby partly closing the air cells, and causing a 
labored effort in breathing, which is made worse 
by exercise, and is indicated by a pecular jerking 
motion of the liank. This stage of the disease 
can be cured. The second stage is when it be- 
comes rupture of the air cells of the lungs after 
long standing of the disease. For this stage there 
is no cure, but you can fix such a horse for the 
time being so that he will show no difficulty in 
breathing by giving the following powder, one 
tablespoonful twice a daj^, in a hot bran mash : 

Tartar Emetic 1 ounce. 

Digitalis ^ 1 " 

Nitre of Potash , 6 " 

Ginger 3 " 

Sulphur 4 " 

Do not give much water at a time, nor a great 
deal of ha}^, but give oats instead. 

The first stage of heaves can be cured if treated 
in this way, with the following medicine — I have 
cured over a hundred by its use : Take in an 



AND HOW TO CURE THEM. 71 

earthen dish, sav about two tablespoonsful of 
chloride of lime, on which pour two ounces of 
sulphuric acid, and hold the dish under the horse's 
nose and let him inhale the smoke. If he shows 
any signs of choking withdraw it for a few 
moments ; follow this for four days ; then with- 
draw the lime and put carbolic acid instead, say 
about one tablespoonful ; and follow this for six 
days ; then stop it for a week and apply it again, 
using instead of carbolic use, iodine in crj^stals, 
one teaspoonful ; apply this for six daj^s, and 
the patient is cured. Crive hot bran mashes twice 
a week for two or three weeks after. 



PLEURISY. 

The principal causes of Pleurisy are the same as 
those which produce pneumonia — exposure to 
cold, riding against a keen wind, immersion as 
high as the chest in cold water, drinking cold 
water, and extra work of the respiratory ma- 
chine. To these may be added, wounds penetrat- 
ing into the thorax and lacerating the pleura, 
fracture of the ribs or violent contusions on the 
side, the inflammation produced by which is prop- 
agated through the parietes of the chest. 

SYMPTOMS. 

The first symptom is chill, followed by increased 
heat and partial sweats ; to these succeed loss of 



72 DISEASES OF THE HORSE 

appetite and spirits, and a low and painful congli : 
the pulse is wiry and small ; the extremities are 
not deathly cold, but cool ; they are more often 
variable, and sometimes present increased heat : 
the body is far more liable to variations of tem- 
X^erature, and the cold and hot fits more frequent- 
ly succeed each other ; the month is not so hot as 
in pneumonia, and the breath is rarely above its 
usual temperature ; the horse will look around at 
his sides, thus pointing out the seat of the disease. 

TKEATMJ^T. 

Gfive 10 drops of aconite and 10 drops of bella- 
donna in 4 quarts of water every houi' until four 
doses are given ; then repeat ever}' two hours until 
better. Apply the following liniment to the breast 
and sides once a day : 

Ammonia 1 ounce. 

Spirits of Wine 3 " 

Spirits of Turpentine 2 " 

Laudanum 1 " 

Camphor Gum 1 '* 

Shake well before using. 

:o: 

CONSUMPTION. 

This fatal ccmiplaint is usually connected with 
or is the consequence of pneumonia or pleurisy, 
and attacks especially, horses of a peculiar forma- 
tion. When a narrow-chested, flat-sided horse is 
attacked by inflammation of the lungs or severe 



AND HOW TO CURE THEM. T» 

catarrhal fever, experience tells us that we will 
have more difficulty in subduing the disease in 
him than in one deeper in the girth or rounder in 
the chest ; and that in him the disease will prob- 
ably terminate in consumption, if relief is not very 
soon afforded. Consumption can be recognized 
by the following 

SYMPTOMS. 

The Hanks heave a little more laboriously than 
they should, and this heaving is painfully quick- 
ened when sudden exertion is required ; he coughs 
harshly, and discharges from the nose^ a mucus 
tinged with blood, or a fluid decidedly purulent ; 
the breath becomes offensive, the pulse is always 
above 40, and strongly increased by the slightest 
exertion ; his eyes are sunken and have a dull 
appearance ; occasionally he will brighten up and 
look quite lively, but it lasts only a short time. 
When these symptoms are developed the animal 
will exhibit considerable pain on being gentl}^ 
struck on some part of the chest ; the cough then 
becomes more frequent and painful, the discharge 
from the nose more abundant and fetid, and the 
emaciation and consequent debility more rapid, 
until death closes the scene. 

TREATMENT. 

Give one tablespoonful, twice a day, in a hot 
bran mash, of the following powder : 

10 



n DISEASES OF THE HORSE 

Nitre of Potash 6 ounces. 

Ginger 4 " 

Tartar Emetic 2 " ^ 

Digitalis 1 " 

Black Antimony 1 '* 

Mix well together. 

Then apply to the breast and sides, once a day, 
the following liniment : 

Spirits of Turpentine 2 ounces. 

Ammonia 1 " 

Spirits of Wine 3 " 

Camphor Gum 1 *' 

Laudanum 1 *" 

Put the camphor with the spirits of wine until it is 
disolved, then mix together, and shake well before 
u^ing. 

To be given in a hot bran mash, the steam iiom 
which will be inhaled and taken into the lungs — 
the very seat of the disease — and thus relieve, if not 
cure the difficulty. 



ai3:_A.i^Tii]E/ Tx:, 



Diseases of the Intestines* 



SPASMODIC COLIC. 

^^^I^HE passage ot the food through the intes- 
^1^ tiiial canal is effected hj the alternate con- 
"^^ traction and relaxation of the muscular coat 
to of the intestines. When that action is 
simply increased through the whole of the canal 
the food passes more rapidly, and purging is pro- 
duced ; but the muscles of every part of the frame 

are liable to irregular and spasmodic action, and 
the muscular coat of some portion of the intestines 
maj^ be thus aftected. The spasm maj^ be con- 
fined to a very small part of the canal, which has 
been found after death strons^lv contracted in vari- 
ous places, but the contraction not exceeding ^Ye 
or six inches in any one place ; in the horse the 
illium is the usual seat of this disease. It is of 



76 DISEASES OF THE HORSE 

much importance to distinguish between spas- 
modic colic and inflammation of the bowels, for 
the symptoms have considerable resemblance, al- 
though the mode of treatment should be very dif- 
ferent. 

SYMPTOMS. 

The attack of colic is very sudden, there often 
being not the slightest warning (inflammation of 
the t)owels is slow in its approach); the horse 
shifts his posture, looks around at his flanks, 
paws violently, strikes his belly with his feet, and 
crouches in a peculiar manner, advancing his hind 
limbs under him. He will then suddenly lie, or 
rather fall down and balance himself upon his 
back, with his feet resting on his bell3^ The pain 
now^ seems to cease for a little while, and he gets 
up and shakes himself and begins to feed. The 
respite, however is short, the spasms return more 
violently ; every indication of pain is increased ; 
he heaves at the flanks, breaks out into a profuse 
perspiration, and throws himself more recklessly 
about. In the space of an hour or two either the 
spasms relax and the remissions are of longer 
duration, or the torture is augmented at ever}^ 
paroxysm, the intervals of ease are fewer and less 
marked, and inflammation and death supervenes. 
The pulse is but little affected at the commence- 
ment, but it soon becomes frequent and contracted^ 
and at length is scarcely perceptible. 



AND HOW TO CURE THEM. 77 

TREATMENT. 

Give one and a half ounces of sulphuric ether, 
with an ounce of laudanum, in half a pint of warm 
water. If the horse is costive, give in half an hour 
this dose : 

Aloes 6 drachms. 

Ginger 1 " 

Warm Linseed Oil |^ pint. 

Sulphuric Ether 1 ounce. 

Laudanum... 1 " 

That will set him all right ; do not give medicine 
every ten minutes ; give one doae time to act be- 
fore you give another, and do not pay any atten- 
tion to what those may say who are always so 
ready to give gratuitous advice, which causes the 
loss of many valuable animals. 



FLATULENT COLIC. 

This is altogether a different disease from the 
former ; it is not spasm of the bowels but inflation 
of them from the presence of gas emitted by undi- 
gested food. Whether collected in the stomach 
or in the small or large intestines, all kinds ol 
food are liable to ferment. In consequence of this 
fermentation, gas is evolved to a greater or less 
extent; perhaps to twenty or thirty times the 
bulk of the food. 

SYMPTOMS. 

The symptoms are, the horse if on the road sud- 
denly slackening his pace and preparing to lie 



78 DISEASES OF THE HORSE 

down, or falling down as if he were shot ; if in the 
stable, he paws the ground with his fore feet, lies 
down, rolls, starts up all at once and throws him- 
self down again w^ith great violence, looking wist- 
fuih^ at his flanks, and making many fruitless at- 
tempts to void his urine. The symptoms are not 
much unlike spasmodic colic, but the real charac- 
ter of the disease soon begins to develop itself, as 
it is in one of the large intestines, and the belly 
swells all around, but mostlj^ on the right flank. 
^.s the disease pR>ceeds the pain becomes more 
intense, the horse violent, and at length death 
closes the scene. 

TREATMENT. 

Give chloride of lime, one teaspoonful in a pint 
of cold water, and shake well ; then put in one 
ounce of laudanum, and giv^e in the form of a 
drink. This will give speedy relief. 



-:o: 



INFLAMMATION OF THE BOWELS. 

Inflammation of the external coats of the stomach, 
whethej" of the peritoneal or the muscular, or both, 
is a very frequent and fatal disease ; it speedily 
runs its course, and it is of great cons.equence that 
its early sj^mptoms should be carefully observed 
and quickly recognized. 

SYMPTOMS. 

In many cases a shivering fit will occur, the 
mouth will be hot and trie nose red ; the animal 



AND HOW TO CURE THEM. 7^ 

will soon express the most dreadfal pain by paw- 
ing, striking at his belly, looking wildly at his 
Hanks, and groaning and rolling ; the pulse will 
be quickened and small, the ears and legs cold, 
the belly tender (which is a sure sign of the dis- 
ease) and sometimes hot, the breathing quickened, 
the bowels costive, and the animal becoming rapr 
idly and fearfully wxak. Relief must now be 
speedy and effectual. His reckless manner of 
throwing himself about renders approach to him 
quite perilous, and makes him not only an object 
of compassion, but of apprehension ; he seems 
fast hurrying to his end, when all at once, in the 
midst of agonizing torments, he stands quiet, as 
though every pain had left him and he were going 
to recover ; his breathing becomes tranquilized 
and his pulse sunk beyond perception. His body 
will, however, be found bedewed with a cold, 
clammy sweat ; he will be in a tremor from head 
to foot, and about the legs and ears has a death- 
like feel, the mouth chill}^, the lips drop pendu- 
ous, and the eye seems unconscious of objects ; 
inline, death and not recovery, is at hand. Morti- 
fication has seized the inflamed bowels, pain can 
no longer be felt in that which a few minutes agQ 
w^as the seat of exquisite suffering, he again be^ 
comes convulsed, and after a few more struggles, 
less violent than the former, death comes to his 
relief. 



80 DISEASES OF THE HORSE 

TKEATMENT. 

Give 1 ounce of sulphuric ether and 1 ounce of 
laudanum in half a pint of warm water ; in twen- 
ty minutes give one pint of linseed oil heated 
warm, putting in it 1 ounce of sulphuric ether and 
1 ounce of laudanum ; if costive, give injections. 
If the pain still continues, then apply warm cloths 
to the belly, and that will give speedy relief. 



CONSTIPATION OF THE BOWELS- 

The chief causes of constipation are dry, heat- 
ing, rich, heavy or spoiled feed, especially when 
the animal eats with avidit3\ It is also caused by 
over-heating, colds, and other causes. 

SYMPTOMS. 

He refuses his feed or eats slowly, the dung is 
extremely hard and dark and covered with slime. 
If the trouble continues for days the animal be- 
comes more restless, makes frequent attempts to 
evacuate the bowels, but without success ; ex- 
presses signs of pain in the abdomen by looking 
at the flanks, pawing the ground, and lying down 
more than in any other disease : the bowels be- 
come distended, and the animal grows more rest- 
less, and if not relieved, other affections, such as 
inflammation of the bowels, etc., are apt to develop 
themselves. 



AND HOW TO CURE THEM, 81 

TEEATMENT. 

Give 6 drachms of aloes and 1 drachm of ginger, 
dissolved in half a pint of hot water ; when nearly 
cold put in half a pint of linseed oil and drench. 
If he is in pain give 1 ounce of laudanum and 2 
ounces spirits of nitre ; give the above dose every 
day until better ; also give injections. Sometimes 
the trouble will last as long as two weeks, and yet 
he will come out all right if properly attended to. 



BOTS. 

In the spring of the year horses are much troub- 
led by a grub or caterpillar which crawls out of 
the anus, fastens itself under the tail, and seems 
to cause a great deal of itching or uneasiness. 
The owners of horses are sometimes alarmed at 
the appearance of these insects, but a knowledge 
of their curious historj^ will dispell every fear 
with regard to them. In the latter part of the 
summer a species of gadlij^ is exceedingly busy 
about the knees and sides of horses, the females 
depositing their eggs on the hair, to which they ad- 
here by means of a glutinous fluid with which they 
are surrounded. In a few days the eggs are ready 
to be hatched, and the slightest application of 
warmth and moisture will liberate the insect which 
they contain ; the horse in licking himself touches 
the egg^ which bursts, and a small worm escapes, 

11 



82 DISEASES OF THE HORSE 

which adheres to the tounge and is conveyed witli 
the food into the stomach ; there it clings to the 
cnticular portion of the stomach by means of a 
hook on either side of its month, and its hold is so 
obstinate that it naust be broken before it can be 
detached. It remains there feeding on the mncns 
of the stomach during the whole of the winter and 
until the end of the ensuing spring, when having 
attained a considerable size, and being destined 
to undergo a transformation, disengages itself 
from the cnticular coat, is carried into the villous 
portion of the stomach witli the food, passes off 
with the chyme, and is evacuated with the dung. 
The bots cannot, while they inhabit the stomach 
of the horse, give him any pain, for they have 
fastened on the cnticular and insensible coat ; 
nor can they be injurious to the horse, for he en- 
joys the most perfect health when the cnticular 
part of the stomach is filled with them, and their 
presence is not even snspected until they appear 
at the anus. They cannot be removed by medi- 
cine because they are not in that part of the stom- 
ach to which medicine is usually conveyed, and 
even if they were their mouths are too deeply 
buried in the mucus for any medicine that can be 
safely administered to affect them ; and last of all, 
in due course of time they detach themselves and 
come away. Therefore the wise man will leave 
them to themselves, or content himself with pick- 
ing them off when they collect under the tail and 
annoy the animal. 



A]\'t> nvw TO ctfjR^ them: sij 

tALCTTLI, OE STOHES IN THE IHTESTINES. 
These are sometimes a caase of iniiammation in 
'the bowels of the horse^ but more frequently of 
colio. They are generally found in the caecum, or 
colon, T^arying considerably in vsha|2>e, and weigh- 
ing from a few ounces to seventeen pounds in an 
extreme case. The causes of these formations are 
sometimes a button or a hair that gets twisted in a 
knot ; other hair, sand and oat husks, then gets iii 
until they form a solid lump. From the horizon- 
tal position of the horse's body the stone does not 
tend downward as in the human being, and it con- 
tinues increasing until it becomes the source of a 
fatal irritation. When coli<; arises from stones or 
^^oncretio-ns iii tli^ intestines the pain is usually 
x^ery severe, until by rolling about the stone is 
dislodged from the position in which it was iixed^ 
and theli becoming free the pain ceases. We may 
presume such to be the nature of the case if the 
horse lies Inuch on his back and rolls over from 
side to «ide with un evident effort to relieve him- 
self fi'om some painful pressure. After repeated 
attacks of tliis kind the case becomes fatal, the 
•calculus continiiing to accumulate, and becoming 
.firmly fixed, thereby obstructing all passage ; in- 
:flam matron supervenes and the animal dies. 
Treatment is out of the question, as it is impossi- 
ble to reach the calc?ilus, and if we did there is 
no medicine that will relieve it. 



84 • DISEASES OF THE HOUSE 

ENTANGLEMENT OF THE BOWELS. 

This is produced by colic or inflammation of 
tlie bowels, and by the poisonous and abominable 
drinks of the farrier, and by other causes. When 
the animal rolls and throws himself about, por- 
tions of the intestines become so entangled as to 
be twisted into nooses and knots drawn together 
with a degree of tightness scarcely credible. Noth- 
ing but the extreme and continued torture of the 
animal can lead us to suspect that this has taken 
place, and when we ascertain its existence there 
is no cure. 

:o: 

WORM?. 

Worms of different kinds inhabit the intestines, 
but except when they exist in very great numbers 
they are not so hurtful as is generally supposed. 
The long white worm much resembles the common 
earth worm ; it is from six to ten inches long, and 
inhabits the small intestines. If there are too 
many of them they may consume more than can 
be spared of the nutritive part of the food or the 
mucus of the bowels. 

SYMPTOMS. 

A tight skin and rough coat and tucked up 
belly are sometimes connected with their presence ; 
they are then, however, voided in large quantities. 



AND HOW TO CUBE THEM. 8ft 

TREATMENT. 

Give one tablespoonful of the following;, twice a 
day for two weeks, in the oats : 

Tartar Emetic 2 ounoea. 

Ginger 3 «' 

Sulphur 3 " 

Nitrate of Potash , 6 '' 

Mis well together. 

A small, dark colored worm, called the needle 
worm, inhabits the large intestines. Hundreds of 
them sometimes descend into the straight intes- 
tine, and immense quantities have been found in 
the ''blind gut." These are a more serious nui- 
sance than the former, for they cause a very 
troublesome irritation about the fundament, which 
sometimes sadl}^ annoys the horse. Their exist- 
ence can generally be discovered by a small por- 
tion of mucus, which hardening, is found adher- 
ing to the anus. Give one teacapful of tlie follow- 
ing, once a day, in a warm bran mash, stirred well 
together : 

Linseed Oil 2 quarts. 

Spirits of Turpentine 6 ounces. 

Ginger 3 " 

Shake well together. 

When there is much irritation about the tail, 
and much of this mucus, indicating that they have 
descended into the straight intestine, injections of, 
tobacco smoke will refmove them all in a few days. 

:0: 



ge- i)tsB!Asi:8 oP THE Horse 

HERNIA, OR RUPTURE. 

In the case of rupture a portion of the intestines- 
protrudes from the belly, either through some 
natural or artifimal opening ; in some cases it can 
be returned, but from the impossibility of apply- 
ing a truss or bandage, it soon escapes again ; at 
other times the opening is so narrow that the in- 
testine is gradually distended by dung, or thick- 
ened by inflammation, and cannot be returned, 
and strangulated hernia is then said to exist. 
The seat of hernia is either in the testicle bag of 
the perfect horse, or in the grain of the gelding ;• 
the causes are violent struggling when under oper- 
ation, over exertion, kicks or accidents. Hernia 
occasionally appears at birth in the testicle bag ;. 
the remedy consists in castration by the covered 
operation ; that isy without cutting into the hernial 
sac, but by placing wooden claws on the cord and 
the peritoneal membrane, and at the same time 
forcing the intestine gently upwards toward the 
abdomen. In the corn'se of a few days, the testi- 
cles will slough ofi^, or they may be removed, but 
I think it is best to let them slough oft^ themselves, 
w^hich will occar in a few da3^s. When the hernia 
is strangulated, violent pain and great danger is- 
the result. The opening through which the intes- 
tine has escaped is generally' very small, being in 
fact the inguinal ring. In such cases if the hernia 
cannot be reduced by the hand, or the taxis, as i# 



AND HOW TO CURE THEM. 87 

is called, it is necessary to open sufficiently to put 
back the protruding intestine, an operation of 
great difRcuity, and requiring much skill. Abdo- 
minal hernia maj^ occur in a different situation, 
and is usually caused by external violence, such 
as the horn of a cow, or by jumping over and 
striking a part, etc. The muscular and other cov- 
ering of the abdomen is broken through, while the 
skin, from its greater looseness, remains entire, 
and indeed is the only object between the bowels 
and the air. If the case is recent, the hernia may 
be reduced, and the hernial sac opened and the 
sid<^s of the opening brought together by sutures 
of metallic wire. Where, however, the injury is 
of long standing, or natural, as for instance in 
mares when the abdominal ring is unusually largQ, 
we cannot succeed by this means, but yet the 
case is not always hopeless. The intestine should 
be forced back, an incision made in the skin, 
and one or more wooden skewers passed through-, 
so that a good portion of the skin can be embraced 
by some strong waxed twine, the skewers pre- 
venting it slipping off the part thus held, which 
sloughs off and a cicatri is formed. The surround- 
ing skin becomes tighter and thicker than before, 
sufficiently so to keep the intestine for the most 
part within the abdomen. 



l>iseases of the Liver, Kidneys, etc. 

RUPTURE OF THE LIVER. 

OKSES dying when not more than five years 

^^r old, of other complaints, usually show on 
dissection a healthy liver, but when thej^ 
reach the* age of eight or nine j^ears, the liver 
is frequently increased in size, is less elastic, has 
assumed a more granulated or broken down ap- 
pearance, the blood does not so rapidly pass 
through its vessels, and at length blood begins to 
ooze from it into its membraneous* covering, or 
into the cavity of the belly. The horse meanwhile 
teeds well, is in good health and condition, and 
capable of constant work ; but at length the peri- 
toneal covering of the liver suddenly gives wa}^ 
and the contents of the abdomen are deluged with 
blood. 



AKi) BOW To CURE THEM. 8& 

SYMPTOMS. 

The symptoms of this sudden change are paw- 
ing, shifting the posture, distention of the bellj^, 
looking around to the right side with an anxious 
expression, but not indicative of severe pain ; 
slight tenderness of the right side, curling of the 
upper lip, sighing frequently and deeply, the 
mouth and nostrils pale and blanched, the breath- 
ing quickened, with restlessness, debility, fainting 
and death. 

TREATMENT. 

Give the following every two hours, until two 
doses have been given ; then every three hours 
until better ; then feed on bran mashes for two or 
three days, when you may return to the usual 
feed : 

Laudanum 2 ounces. 

Sulphuric Ether 1 " 

Tincture of Iron ^ *' 

Vinegar a pint. 

——. :o: 

JAUNDICE. , 

This disease (commonly called yellows) is a more 
frequent, but more tractable disease ; it is the in- 
troduction of bile into the general circulation, and 
is usually caused by some obstruction in the ducts 
or tubes that convey the bile from the liver to the 
intestines^ 

12 



.-/. 



»0 DISEASES OF THE HORSE 

SYMPTOMS. 

Yellowness of the eyes and mouth, and of the 
skin where it is not covered with hair, marks it 
plainly. The dung is small and hard, the urine 
hiojhly colored, the horse languid, and the appe- 
tite impaired. If he is not soon relieved, he some- 
times begins to express considerable uneasiness, 
at other times he is dull, heavy and stupid ; a 
characteristic symptom is lameness of the right 
fore \^g^ resembling the pain in the right shoulder 
of the human being in liver affections. The prin- 
cipal causes are over-feeding, or over-exeition, 
in sultry weather. 

TREATMENT. 

Give twice a day one tablespoonful of the fol- 
lowing powder in a hot bran mash : 

Suljjlaate of Copper 4 ounces 

Ginger ...3 " 

Vitriol of Potash , 3 

Mix well together. 

% :o: 

INFLAMMATION OF THE KIDNEYS. 

Inflammation of the kidneys is not of so frequent 
occurrence as it formerly was, smce most horse 
owners have abandoned the very injurious practice 
of frequently giving horses nitre or ^ rosin, or 
something of that kind, to keep their water right. 
There is no more necessity for giving a horse niedi' 
cine to regulate his water, than there is for giving 



AND BOW TO aURR THEM. 91 

it to a man. Inflammation of tlie kidneys, how- 
ev^\ is produced by other causes, such as feeding 
musty hay or musty oats, or by breathing bad and 
foul air. 

SYMPTOMS. 

The symptoms are a straddling gait, humped up 
back, flinching when there is pressure made on the 
back, frequent turning of tlie head around toward 
the hind parts, a hard and quick pulse, short and 
quick breathing and scanty urine, and refusing to 
turn short around in the stable. 

TREATMENT. 

Once in three hours give the following till 
better : 

Laudanum 1 ounce. 

Sulphuric Ether 1 

Linseed Tea 1 pint. 

Then apply to the back cloths rung out of 
hot water, twice a day. After applying the liot 
cloths, rub with the following liniment twice a. 
day : 

Camphorated Sjnrit 4 ounces. 

Sweet Oil 3 " 

Choloroform 2 

Shake well together and apply enough to moi.sten the skin 

:o: 

DIABETES, OE PROFUSE STALING. 

Diabetes is a comparatively rare disease ; it is 
generally the consequence of undue irritation of 



92 . DISEASES OF THE HORSE 

the kidne3^s by bad food or strong diuretics, and 
sometimes follows inflammation of that ors^an. 

SYMPTOMS. 

At first there is a copious flow of thin watery 
urine ; afterwards a lentescent fever supervenes, 
the animal grows thin, the appetite decreases, his 
thirst increases, the urine becomes darker and 
more painful, bloody, and sometimes quite cold, 
even at the time of voiding it. Sometimes several 
animals are attacked at the same time, in which 
case it can be traced to the feed. 

TREATMENT. 

Give the following drink once in three hours till 
better (then remove the cause) : 

Laudanum 1 ounce. 

Tincture of Iron 1 ** 

Tincture of Myrrh ^ *' 

Water 1 pint. 

« Shake well together and drench. 

:o: 

BLOODY URINE. 

The discharge of urine of this character is of 
occasional occurrence. Pure blood is sometimes 
discharged, but it immediately coagulates ; at other 
times it is more or less mixed with the urine and 
does not coagulate. The cause of its appearance 
and the source whence it proceeds, cannot always 
be determined, but it is probably the result of 



AND HOW TO CUBE THEM. 93 

some strain or blow ; it may or may not be accom- 
panied by inflammation. Should it be the result 
of strain or violence, or be evidently attended by 
inflammation, the treatment is the same. 

TREATMENT. 

Give the following drink once a day till four 
dose have been given : 

Tincture of Iron .1 ounce. 

Laudanum 1 *' 

Ale 1 pint. 

After the foregoing has been administered, give 
a tablespoonful of the following powder in a hot 
bran mash twice a day : 

Ginger .6 ounces. 

Gentian 4 " 

Blood Root 3 " 

Tartar Emetic 2 *' 

Sulphate of Magnesia 4 *' 

Mix well together. 

:o: 

INLFAMMATION OF THE BLADDER. 

Inflammation of the bladder is not very com- 
mon, and is usually produced by irritants of a 
mechanical or chemical nature, as when the kid- 
neys secrete a highly irritating urine the bladder 
suffers in its passage, and we have the two organs 
inflamed at the same time. Again, the bladder is 
liable to become inflamed when cantharides have 
been given with a view to stimulate exhausted 



94 DISEASES OF THE HORSE 

nature, or when tliey are absorbed from the sur- 
face of the skin, as sometimes happens in blister- 
ing. 

SYMPTOMS. 

In inflammation of the bladder there is frequent 
voiding of urine in small quantities mixed with 
mucus, or in aggravated cases with ^xirulent mat- 
ter ; a quick pulse, pain in the hind quarters, 
evinced by the looks the animal sends in that 
direction, shivering, cold sweats, and death. 

TREATMENT. 

(^ive the following once in two hours till better : 

Snlphuric Ether 1 onnce. 

Laudanum 1 " 

Warm Water 1 pint. 

Give warm injections and apply cloths rung out 
of hot water to the back and sheath ; tlie worst 
cases will vield to this treatment. 



:o: 



STONE IN THE BLADDER. 

Calculi in the bladder are formed ot eartliy 
salts, and present various forms and appearances, 
which may be comprised under four divisions : 
first, the mulberry calculus, so named from its 
resemblance to a mulberry, possessing generally 
a nucleus ; second, a very soft kind, resembling 
fuller's earth in appearance, and being chiefly com- 
posed of phosphate of lime and uiucus ; third. 



AND HOW TO CURE THEM. 96 

calculi of a white or yellowisb color, rougli exter- 
nally, and easily friable ; and fourth, those which 
are composed of regular layers, and which are 
harder than the second and third varieties. The 
mulberry calculus from its extremely rough surface 
occasions ni6re irritation than other forms ; but 
during life it is impossible to ascertain {[I'd exact 
chemical nature of the calculus which may be 
ascertained to exist. These calculi sometimes 
attain an immense size, weighing from a few grains 
to several pounds. 

SYMPTOMS. • 

The symptoms are a difficulty of voiding the 
urine, which generally comes iaway in jerks, after 
great straining and groaning. The horse remains 
with his legs extended for some time afterwards, 
and evidentl}^ indicates that he feels as if his bl ad- 
der ,was not relieved. Often there is muco-puruleut 
matter mixed with the urine, which is rendered 
thick and glutinous thereby, but this only happens 
in cases ^f long standing. 

TREATMENT. 

To^be sure that there are calculi in the bladder, 
throw the horse and introduce tlie hand and arm 
through the rectum. After rolling him on his back, 
if there is stone in the bladder you can feel it ; if 
there is a stone there it must be removed before a 
cure can be expected. Give 2 ounces of laudanum 



m DISEASES OF THE HOUSE 

and 1 ounce of ether ; that will ease the pain till 
you abstract the stone. In cutting for the stone 
the horse is cast and turned on his back and sup- 
ported in that position ; a whaleboi^ie or wooden 
staff is then passed up the urethra, and when it is 
felt at the perineum, just under the anus, cut down 
upon it. A pair of forceps is next passed through 
the wound thus made into the bladder, with which 
the calculus must be removed. The bladder then 
should be washed out with tepid water and the 
wound sewed up, and in a week or two the horse 
will be all right. 




Diseases of the Organs of Generation. 



xlLANITIS, or inflammation of the glans- 
penis. is very common in the horse, being 
brought on by the decomposition of the 
natural secretions when they have been 
allowed to collect for any length of time. At first 
there is merely a slight discharge of pus, but in 
process of time fonl sores break out, and very often 
fungus growths spring from them which block up 
the passage through the opening of the sheath and 
cause considerable swelling and inconvenience ; 
these are quite distinct from warts, which occur in 
these parts just as the.y do in other situations. 

TREATMENT. 

Give twice a day in the water, 1 ounce of wine * 
of iron, this will set him all right in two or three 

13 



98 DISEASES OF THE HORSE. 

weeks. In the mare the vagina is sometimes in- 
flamed with a copious yellow discharge, an injec- 
tion of the following will soon set all the matter 
right : 

Chloride of Zinc 2 grains. 

Water 2 ounces. 

Mix. 

The inversion of the uterus sometimes follows 
parturition, but it is very rare. When it does 
occur it should be at once replaced, using as little 
force as possible, and taking care before the hand 
is withdrawn that it really is turned back again 
from its inverted position. 



STOPPAGE OF THE WATER, OR SPASM OF THE 

URETHRA. 

This disease has been frequently mistaken for 

colic or inflammation of the kidneys, but the 

symptoms are quite different. In cases of colic 

or inflammation of the kidneys, stoppage of water 

is not so frequent a difficulty as is supposed by 

most horse owners. 

SYMPTOMS. 

It is easy to detect an animal with stoppage of 
water, from the wide spread legs or straddling 
movement ; the absence of any discharge of water, 
but the repeated effort, attended with pain ; and 
•the frequent looks he casts at his hind parts. At 
length he throws himself down with great force, 



AND HOW TO CURE THEM. 99 

rolls, starts up all at once and throws himself 
down again with greater violence. As the disease 
proceeds the pain becomes more intense, the horse 
more violent, and at length death ensues. 

TKEATMENT. 

Give the following, once in two hours, until bet- 
er : 

Laudanum 2 ounces. 

Sulphuric Ether 2 " 

Warm Water 1 pint. 

Then apply hot cloths to the loins and sheath. 
If it is a horse, put a little pepper up the penis ; 
or if a mare, in the vagina, and they will make 
water in a few minutes. There is no use of a 
catheter or any other instrument. 



OHIJLIPTEK. XII. 



Accidents and JDiseases of the Fore Legs, 



• ♦• 




SPRAIN OF THE SHOULDER. 

*HE muscles of the shoulder are occa- 
sionally injured by some severe shock. 
This is effected oftener by a slip or side 
fall, than b,y fair although violent exer- 
tion. It of considerable importance to be able to 
distinguish this shoulder lameness from injuries 
of other parts of the fore extremities. 

SYMPTOMS. 

If standing before the horse and looking at the 
size of the two shoulders, or rather their points, 
one should appear evidently larger than the other, 
this must not be considered as indicative of sprain 
of the muscles ; it probably arises from bruise of 
the point of of the shoulder, which a slight exam- 
ination will determine. In sprain of the shoulder 



AND HOW TO CURE THEM. 101 

the horse evidently suffers extreme pain while 
moving, and the muscles underneath being in- 
flamed and tender, he will extend it as little as 
possible, and will drag his toe along the ground. 
It is in the lifting of the foot that the shoulder is 
princi]3ally moved ; if the foot is lifted high let 
the horse be ever so lame, -the shoulder is little if 
at all effected ; for in shoulder lameness the toe 
alone rests on the ground. The circumstances 
which most of all characterize this affection are 
that when the foot is lifted and brought considera- 
bly forward the horse will express very great pain, 
which he will not do if the lameness is in the foot 

or leg. 

TREATMENT. 

Put a rowel close under the arm that is affVcted 
and leave it there until it discharges freely ; then 
apply daily to the shoulder the following liniment ; 
just enough to moisten the skin is sufficient : 

Alcohol..... 4 ounces. 

Camphor Gum 2 

Tincture of Canthftrides 2 

Vinegar ^ 

Apply the above to the shoulder ; it never fails 
to effect a cui e. 

:o: 

CAPPED ELBOW. 

This is an enlargement of the joint on the ibr- 
ward leg, nearest the body, called the elbow joint. 
It is produced by a bruise, and is frequently 



102 DISEASES OF TH§ ROUSE 

caused by resting that part on the shoe of the hind 
foot while lying down. 

TEEATMENT. 

A good many veterinary writers say the only 
way to get rid of capped elbows is to cut them 
out. The only reason why they recommend that 
treatment is because they don't know any other 
way. . If the tumor is very large and matterated, 
open it on the under side, and in three days inject 
in it tincture of iodine, once a day, until better. 
If the tumor is not matterated, apply the follow- 
ing blister once a day, for three days, and then 
leave off for one week, and if there is any enlarge- 
ment, apply it again ; it rarely has to be applied 
more than twice : 

Gantharides 2 ounces. 

Iodine ^ " 

Lard 8 " 

Mix well together. 

Merely grease the lump with the ointment, rub- 
bing it in well with the hand. 

:o: 

INJURIES OF THE KNEE. 

The knees are subject to a variety of injuries, 
mainly from falls ; sometimes the wound is large 
and apparently formidable, and it is yet but an 
ordinary wound, readily healing with common 
treatment. 



AND HOW TO CUBE THEM. 103 

TREATMENT. 

If the skin is not broken the application of the 
following lotion will set it all right in a few days : 

Vinegar , 1 pint. 

Water 1 " 

Spirits of Wine 4 ounces. 

If the skin is broken and loose below the wound, 
make a hole through the skin at the lower part 
that is loose, so that there may be a free discharge 
there ; then apply the following, three times a day, 
with a feather ; do not stitch the skin that is hang- 
ing loose, if you do it will leave a blemish, and 
will take longer to heal : 

Chloride of Zinc, 20 grains. 

Water 10 ounces. 

Shake well before using. 

The above treatment is all that is required with 
any injury to the joints, even though the joint 
oil may discharge ; this treatment, properly ap- 
plied, will stop it in a few days. 

:o: 

RHEUMATISM IN* THE KNEE. 

Rheumatism occasionally affects the knee, and 

will be known by the part swelling, and the horse 
coming out of the stable holding the limb off the 
ground ; it will be very warm and tender. Apply 
cloths rung out of hot water, and afterwards use 
the following liniment, once a day, till better : 

Ammonia 2 ounces. 

Spirits of Wine 4 ** 

Camphor Gum 2 " 

Spirits of Turpentine 2 " 

Shake well before using. 



10^ DISEASES OF THE HORSE 

KNEE TUMOES. 

The knee is sometimes affected with bony tumors 
that grow on the inside of tlie limb, occasionally 
reaching the size of a goose egg, producing con- 
siderable lameness. The causes of this are hard 
driving, jumping over fences, or striking the knee 
against the manger, etc. 

TREATMENT. 

Apply the following, once a day, foj- three days, 
and then grease ; after the scab comes off, apply as 
before until better : 

Camphor Gum 1 ounce. 

Iodide of Mercury ....1 ** 

Lard 8 " 

Mix well together and apply ; rub well in with the 
hand, a piece about the size of a hickory nut. 
:o: 

SPEEDY CUT. 

The inside of the leg, immediately under the 
knee, and extending to the head of the inner splint- 
bone, is subject to injury from what is termed the 
speedy cut. A horse with high action in the fast 
trot violently strikes this part either with his hoof 
or witli the edge of the shoe, and sometimes bony 
enlargements are the result ; at other times great' 
heat and tenderness, and the pain from the blow 
seems occasionally to be so great that the horse 
drops as if he were shot. 



AND HOW TO CURE TEEM. 105 

TREATMENT. 

Tlie only remedy is to take care that no part of 
the shoe projects beyond the foot, and to let the 
inner side of the shoe have but one nail, and that 
near the toe. This part of the hoof being unfitted 
with nails, will expand when it comes in contact 
with the ground, and contract when in the air, and 
relieve the leg from the pressure of the whole of 
the body, and although this contraction is to no 
great extent, it will be sufficient to carry tbe foot 
harmlessly by the leg. Care should be taken that 
the shoe is of equal thickness at tho heel and at 
the toe, and that the bearing is equal on both 
sides. 

:o: 

SHOULDER JAM, OR SWEENY. 
What is usually understood by shoulder jam, 
or sweeny, is the wasting of the, muscles of tbe 
shoulder ; it is caused by lameness in the foot or 
knee, or by standing with one foot lower than the 
other, or by pawing with one foot more than the 
other ; or it may be caused, perhaps, from foun- 
der, or b}^ the collar being top large, or jumping* 
over fences, etc. If the foot is the seat of • lame- 
ness, remove the lameness and the shoulder will 
be all right without doing anything to it ; but if 
the shoulder is wasted, and the animal is lame 
and stiff, and there seems to be no particular 
cause for it, use .the following : 

14 



lt)6 DISEASES OF THE HORSE 

TREATMENT. 

Rowel the breast ; then take the skin up with 
the lingers on the shoulder and twist a small 
bladed knife through it, then pull the skin from 
the shoulder, and that will draw the air in ; then 
work it down the leg with your hand, until you 
go all over the shoulder. Afterwards, apply 
once a day enough of the following to moisten the 
skin : 

Ammonia 2 ounces. 

Turpentine 2 " 

Spirits of Wine .....6 " 

Shake well before using. 



SPLINT. 

Splint is invariably found on the outside of the 
small bones, and generally on the inside of the 
leg. The inner bone receives the whole weight 
transmitted to the small bone of the knee, and the 
absurd practice of many smiths in raising the 
outer heel of the shoe to an extravagant degree, 
throws still more of the weight of the horse on the 
inner splint bone. Bony tumors occasionally ap- 
pear on other parts of the shank bone, being the 
consequence of violent blows or other external in- 
juries, and they are also commonly called splints. 

TREATMENT. 

When the splint of either sort is forming, the 
horse is frequently lame, for the periosteum or 



AND HOW TO CUBE THEM. 107 

covering of the bone is painfully stretched ; but 
when this membrane has accommodated itself to 
the tumor that extended it, the lameness subsides 
or altogether disappears. When treating splints 
of either sort, the hair should be cut close and a 
lump of this salve the size of a bean be rubbed in 
with the lingers, for three days ; then wash and 
grease. In a week, if there is any bunch left, ap- 
ply as before. 

Iodine 1 ounce. 

Lard 8 " 

Iodide of Potassium 1 " 

Mix well together. 

:o: 

SPRAIN OF THE BACK SINEWS. 

These tendons are enclosed in a sheath of dense 
cellular substance in order to confine them in their 
situation, and to defend them from injury ; be- 
tween the tendon and the sheath there is a mucus 
fluid to prevent friction, but when the horse has 
been over- worked, or put to sudden or violent ex- 
ertion, the tendon presses upon the delicate mem- 
brane lining this sheath, and inflammation is pro- 
duced ; a different fluid is then thrown out, which 
coagulates, and adhesion is produced between the 
tendon and the sheath, and the motion of the limb 
is more difficult and painful. At other times, 
from violent or long-continued exertion, some of 
the fibres which confine the tendons are ruptured. 



108 DISEASES OF THE HORSE 

A slight injury of this nature is called a sprain of 
the back sinews or tendons, and when it is more 
serious the horse is said to be broken down. It 
should be remembered, however, that the tendon 
can never be sprained, because it is inelastic and 
incapable of .extension, and the tendon or its 
sheath are scarcely ever ruptured, even in what is 
called broken down. The -first injury is confined 
to inflammation of the sheath, or rupture of a few 
of the attaching fibres. 

SYMPTOMS. 

The symptoms are a partial or entire giving way 
of the fetlock joint downwards, so that the back 
of it either touches the ground, or nearly so, 
when the weight is thrown upon it ; usually, how- 
ever, after the horse is pulled up he hops on three 
legs, and refuses altogether to put that which is 
broken down to the ground ; in a very few min- 
utes the leg fills at the seat of the accident, and 
becomes hot and very tender to the touch. 

TREATMENT. 

Apply cold water three or four times a day, or 
what is still better, vinegar 1 quart, alcohol 6 
ounces, water 1 pint ; apply over the injury three 
times a day, and bandage w^ith flannel. When 
the inflammation has subsided a mild blister may 
be applied. The following is a very good one : 

Tinctnre of Iodine 2 ounces. 

Alcohol 6 " 

Spirits of Turpentine 2 *' 



AND HOW TO CURE THEM. l%% 

After the blistering the horse should have at 
least a hix months' run at grass, and that will be 
all that is required for the cure of this injury. 



■:o: 



WIND GALLS. 

In the neighborhood of the fetlock there are oc- 
casionally found considerable enlargements, often - 
er on the hind leg than on the fore one, which are 
denominated wind galls. Between the tendons 
and other parts, and wherever the tendons are ex- 
posed to pressure or friction, and particularly 
about their extremities, little bags or sacs are 
placed, containing and suffering to ooze slowly 
from them a mucus fluid to lubricate those parts, 
and relieve them from the undue pressure fre- 
quently caused by violent action and straining of 
the tendons ; or often caused by predisposition in 
the horse. If these little sacs are injured they 
take on inflammation, and sometimes become large 
and hardened ; there are few horses perfectly free 
from them. When they first appear, and until 
the inflammation subsides, they may be accom- 
panied by some degree of lameness ; but other- 
wise, except when thej^ attain a great size, they 
do not interfere with the action of the limb, or 
cause any considerable unsoundness. Owners of 
horses formerly supposed they contained wind, 
hence the name wind gallSj and the practice of 



110 DISEASES OF THE HOUSE 

opening them, by which dreadful inflammation 
was often produced, and many a valuable horse 
destroyed. 

TREATMENT. 

A slight windgall will scarcely need any treat- 
ment, but if they are numerous and large, and 
seem to impede the motion of the limb, they may 
be subjected to bandages and cooling applications, 
such as the following : Alcohol 6 ounces, vinegar 
1 pint, water 1 pint. Shake well, and apply be- 
fore bandaging. The bandage should be of flan- 
nel, and soft pads should be placed on each of the 
enlargements and bound down tightly upon them ; 
the bandage should also be wetted with the above 
lotion ; the wind gall will often diminish or disap- 
pear by this treatment, but will sometimes return 
when the horse is again hardly worked. A blister 
is a more efiectual remedy ; apply as follows : 
Take a lump, the size of a kidney bean, and rub 
it well in with the fingers once a day, for three 
days ; then leave off and bandage. The following 
is the best blister known for wind galls ; 

Mercurial Ointment 4 ounces. 

Iodine 1 " 

Mix well together. 



INJURIES TO THE SUSPENSORY LIGAMENT. 

i The suspensory ligament is sometimes strained, 
and even ruptured, by extiaordinary exertion. 
The sessamoids, which in their natural state are 



AND HOW TO CURE THEM. iif 

suspended by it, and from which function its 
name is derived, are in the latter case let down, 
and the fetlock almost touches the ground. This 
is generally mistaken for the rupture of the flexor 
tendon, but one symptom will sufficiently demon- 
strate that it is the suspensory ligament which is 
concerned, viz : That the horse is able to bend 
his foot. Rupture of this ligament is a bad and 
almost desperate case ; the horse is frequently 
lame for life, and never becomes perfectly sound; 

TREATMENT. 

Keeping him altogether quiet, bandaging the 
leg, and putting a high heeled shoe upon the foot 
affected, will afford the most probable means of 
relief. 



SPRAIN OF THE FETLOCK. 

The fetlock joint is a ver}^ complicated one, and 
from the stress which is laid on it, and its being 
the principal seat of motion below the knee, it is 
particularly subject to injury. There are not 
many cases of sprain of the back sinew that are 
not accompanied by inflammation of the ligaments 
of this joint ; and numerous supposed cases of 
sprain higher up are simple affections of the fet- 
lock ; it does not require a great deal of experi- 
ence to distinguish the one from the other. 



pa DISEASES OF THE HORSE 

SYMPTOMS. 

The chief symptom of sprain of the fetlock joint 
is swelling, heat, soreness to the touch, and lame- 
ness ; it may be slight or very severe, but in the 
latter case it is generally complicated by strains of 
the back sinews or suspensory ligament. 

TKEATMENT. 

The leg should be fomented twice a day in hot 
water, and then bandaged below ; use this treat- 
ment for five days, and then apply cold water and 
bandage as before ; then apply enough to moisten 
of the following liniment twice a. day, bandaging 
after the rubbing : 

Alcohol 6 ounces. 

Camphor 2 " 

Chloroform ..2 " 

Vinegar 6 " , 

After the lameness subsides he should have six 
weeks' or two months' rest. 



cbl^-^tei^ x:iii. 




Diseases and Injuries of the Hind Legs. 

INJURIES OF THE THIGH. 

^^I^.HE tliigh bone is long and cylindrical, tak- 
^ ing an oblique direction from above down- 
wards, and from behind forward. At its 
upper extremities and projecting from the 
body, is a thick, flattened neck, terminating in a, 
large smooth hemispherical head, adapted to a 
hollow in the superior point of the haunch ; this 
bone is commonly called the round bone ; it has 
in some rare instances been dislocated and frac- 
tured. It is- not, as many imagine, subject to 
sprain. If there is a sprain, it is of the muscles 
and not of the joint. 

SYMPTOMS OF SPEAIN AND FRACTURE. 

All fractures will be spoken of in their proper 
place, with their treatment ; this one will only be 

15 



114 DISEASES OF THE HORSE 

spoken of here to explain the difference between 
fracture and sprain. If it is fracture of the thigh 
bone the animal will drag the leg after him ; there 
will be heat and swelling about the part, tender- 
ness and fearfulness of the slightest motion; by 
the movement of the limb a crackling noise will be 
made, and these s^^mptoms will be the same in 
fracture of any of the bones above the hock joint. 
If it is a sprain, the leg will swell and cannot be 
moved without considerable pain, unless it is a 
very slight sprain indeed ; and when you take the 
leg in your hand and move it towards the head 
you cannot hear any crackling noise, which is a 
proof that it is not a fracture. 

TREATMENT. 

An injured part so deeply situated is treated 
with difficulty ; fomentations should at first be 
used to abate the inflammation, and after that an 
active blister should be applied. Strains of these 
parts are not always immediately relieved, and the 
muscles of the limb, in some cases, waste consid- 
erably. It therefore may be necessary to repeat 
the blister, while absolute rest should accompany 
every stage of the treatment. After the lameness 
disappears the horse should be turned out to grass 
for two or three months. 

:o: 

THE STIFLE AND ITS INJURIES. 

It has usually been supposed by horse owners 
that the stifle joint is very liable to get out of 



AiS^D mW To GTIRE THEM. 115 

place — what is called being stifled— and I ha\re 
seen much cruelty practised on horses by placing 
what is called a stifle shoe on the well side, and 
causing them to stand on the lame leg> This is a 

very cruel and barbarous practice, and should 
never be allowed ; for such a thing as getting the 
stifle out is impossible ; any person can be con- 
vinced of this by merely dissecting the stifle joint 
of a horse. It may sometimes get bruised or cut, 
which may readily be known by the swelling and 
inflammation that will follow, and should be 
treated the same as any other bruise or cut. If for 
a bruise, apply hot cloths, and then use the follow- 
ing twice a day until better : 

Ghloroform 2 ounces. 

Alcohol.. 6 " 

Camphor Gum .» 2 *' 

Water 1 pint. 

The stifle joint is made almost exactly like the 
knee joint of a man, with the knee cap in front, 
called the patella 5 this patella may sometimes get 
out of place, but that is not frequent. It may 
readily be known by the limb extended backwards. 
It is impossible for the horse to bring it forward, 
or to bear the least weight on the limb. When it 
gets out of place the patella always slips to the 
outside so that it may readily be seen, there 
being a large lump on the joint. When this does 
oc€ur put a rope around the ankle of the limb and 
let one man take hold of it and stand in front of 



116 DISEASES OF THE HORSE 

the horse and pall steadily, while the operator 
stands by the side of the animal and pushes it 
into its place, and holds it there for a short time 
with his hand. Then apply the following liniment 
once a day for four or five days. If it is the first 
time it may never trouble him again, but if the 
patella laxates the second time, apply the lini- 
ment oftener ; enough to moisten the skin should 
be used : 

Tincture of Iodine 2 ounces. 

Alcohol 4 " 

Spirits of Turpentine 2 " 

:o: 

BOa SPAVIN AHD THOSOUGHPIIT. 

The hock is a most important joint, occasional]}^ 
the evident, but much oftener the unsuspected seat 
of lameness. The proper formation of this joint is 
essentially connected with the value of the horse, 
for it answers to the ankle in the human being. 

Bog spavin is a soft enlargement on the front and 
inner side of the hock joint, and is caused by some 
■injury that produces slight infiammation, and that 
increases the supply of the senovial fluid or joint 
oil, which lodges in a sac. Sometimes by press- 
ing on the enlarged part with the hand, it will 
show through on the side of the joint, or by press- 
ing on the side it will show through on the other 
side ; it is then called thoroughpin. These affec- 
tions may occur independently, but more frequent- 
ly they are found together. 



AND HOW TO CURE THEM. 117 

TREATMENT. 

Many veterinary writers recommend bandages 
and trusses, some one thing and some another, and 
at last they say it cannot be cured, but I have 
never failed to cure a case when put in my hands 
in time. Take a lump of ointment of mercury of 
the size of a hazle nut, and rub on the enlargement 
once a day until better ; then applj^ cold water for 
a week. i 

:0: • 

• ENLARGEMENT OF THE HOCK 

This affection is produced by inflammation or 
sprain of the hock joint, generally arising from 
sudden, violent concussion by some check at speed, 
or by over- weight, and is attended with enlarge- 
ment of the whole joint, and great tenderness and 
lameness. 

TREATMENT. 

Give rest and apply warm fomentations twice or 
three times a day for three days ; then apply cold 
water for six or seven days. After this use the 
following once a daj^, and at the end o'f two weeks 
give gentle exercise. This is all that will be required 
to complete the cure : 

Vinegar 1 pint. 

Spirits of Wine 6 ounces. 

Water 6 " 

Shake well before using. 

:o: 



118- DISEASES OF THE SonSE 

CAPPED HOCK. 
The point of the hock is sometimes swelled, and 
a soft fluctuating tumor appears on it. This is an 
enlargement of one of the mucus hags that surround 
the tendons at the point of insertion into the hock ; it 
is seldom accompanied by lameness, and yet it is a 
somewhat serious business, for it is usually pro- 
duced by blows, and mostly by the injuries which 
the horse inflicts upon himself in the act of kick- 
ing against the stall post. In fact this is in nearly 
every case the cause of this disease. 

TKEATMENT. 

Apply once a day for three days the following 
ointment, well rubbed in, enough to well cover the 
swoolen part, then wash off" and grease. After two 
weeks, if there is any enlargement, apply it again, 
and so on until the swelling is removed. It will not 
require but two or three applications to accomplish 
a cure ; • 

Bed Iodide of Mercrury.^. ,^ ..^ ...... .h ounce. 

Lard 4 " 

Can tharides, in Powder.. \ **' 

Mix well together. 

:o: 

CTTRB. 

Curb is enlargement at the back of the hock,, 
three or four inches below its point. It is a strain 
of the ring-like ligament which binds the tendons 



AND HOW TO CURE THEM. 119 

in their place, or of the sheath of the tendons ; 
oftener, however, of the ligament than of the sheath. 

SYMPTOMS. 

Curbs are generally accompanied by considera- 
ble lameness at their first appearance ; but the 
swelling is not always, great ; they are best de- 
tected by observing the leg sideways. • The cause 
of curb is any sudden action of the limb of more 
than usual violence. Therefore horses are found 
to throw out curbs after a hard contested race, 
an extraordinary leap, a severe gallop over heavy 
ground, or a sudden check in the gallop ; all of 
these will bring on curbs. 

TREATMENT. 

If the curb is just forming, apply cold water 
twice a day, for two or three days ; then use the 
following salve, a piece as large as a marble, once 
a day, for three days more ; then wash off and 
grease. After the scab is off, if there is any en- 
largement, apply as before : 

Red Iodide Mercury jounce. 

Lard ^ 

Mix well together. 

:o: 



BONE SPAVIN. 

Bone spavin is the result of some injury to the 
joint. Some writers suppose it to be hereditary, 
but that is not the case, because there is not one 
single horse, mare or stallion, that has spavin, but 



120 DISEASES OF THE HOUSE 

the owner knows how, when and where the horse 
was when affected ; he can tell you that he drove 
him very fast, or that he had pulled him hard, or 
that he saw him slip while driving. There never 
was a foal born with a spavin. Some persons will 
say, I saw a colt running with the mare, and I 
know that it had a spavin. I don't doubt it, for 
it might be running in the pasture and have 
sprained the joint to an extent that would bring 
on a spavin. 

SYMPTOMS. 

To examine for a spavin alwaj^s go in front of 
the horse and stoop down so as to look through. 
Ifetween^he forvvard legs at the hind legs, having 
the hind legs as near alike in position as possible ; 
then compare the two together, and you can detect 
the spavin, if any exists ; when it is not perceiva- 
ble in any other wa}^, if you do not see any en- 
largement, place your hand on the joint, let it rest 
a moment, and see if you cannot detect a little 
more heat than there should be. If not yet satis- 
fied, have the horse led along on the level ground 
and notice his step ; if he does not step as far 
ahead as he does with the other leg, you may be 
sure that the lameness is in the spavin joint, and 
a spavin will undoubtedly be the result if not 
cured. 



AND HOW TO CURE THEM. n% 

TREATMENT,. 

Apply hot fomentations to the hock joint or the 
spavin twice a day, for a week ; then the following 
lotion twice or three times a day, for five or six: 
days : v , : , 

Vinegar.: 4 ounces. 

Spirits of Wine " 

Camphor Gum -" 

(Cut the camphor in the wine before mixing with 

the others.) ' ' *'' 

Water bounces. 

Chloroform., - 

After the lameness has passed away apply a 
piece of the following salve, about the size of a 
hickory nut, once a day, for three days ; then 
wash oif and grease every few days until the scab 
comes off. If he is yet no better, apply as before. 
This will never fail, unless it is a very large spavin, 
and has been on a long time ; in that case it will 
help, but not cure it. 

Red Iodide of Mercury |- ounce. 

Lard • ^ 

Mix well together. 

:o: 

SWELLED LEGS. 

Horses in high condition and high fed, or when 
taken from grass, are liable to have swelled legs, 
caused by a want of proper circulation. The hind 
legs are more subject to this than the fore legs, on 
account of their being so far away from the center 
of circulation, and they are therefore the first to' 

" 16 



128 DISEASES OF THE HORSE 

show the loss of power by the accumulation of 
fluid in them, suddenly swelling to an enormous 
size, sometimes in a single night. The horse will 
sometimes refuse to eat or walk, or lie down, while 
at other times he will not be lame, and will be ap- 
parently enjoying good health. 

TREATMENT. 

Give the following powder in his feed twice a 
day ; then put a rowel in his breast and lance the 
enlarged legs, giving the animal a loose box stall 
and gentle exercise, and he will be all right in a 
ffew days ; 

Nitrate of Potash 4 ounces. 

Ginger 4 *' 

Gentian 2 *' 

Anise Seed \ *' 

EmeticTartar 1 " 

Mix well together and give one tablespoonful twice a day in 
the feed. 

SCRATCHES. 
The cause of scratches is neglecting to keeping 
the stable and legs clean, or exposure in cold or 
wet weather, or running on low wet ground. 

SYMPTOMS. 

The legs will swell and be quite sore ; they will 
crack open just behind the heels, and in a few 
days there will be found a greasy substance run- 
ning out of the sore ; it is then called grease heels. 



AND HOW TO CURE THEM, 188 

The treatment of scratches and grease is about the 
same, only grease heel takes a longer time to cure 
than scratches. 

TREATMENT. 

Give the following powder, one tablespoonfu), 
once a day, in the feed : 

Nitrate of Potash .......4: ounces. 

Ginger 4 " 

Sulphur 3 " 

Mix well together. 

Wash the heels clean with warm water and 
castile soap ; then apply the following lotion three 
times a day with a sponge, and in a few days the 
heels will begin to heal, and the horse may have 
gentle exercise : 

Carbolic Acid I ounce. 

Water 1 pint. 

Shake well before using. 



Accidents and Diseases of the Foot. , 

CRACKED HOOF. 

I^RACKED liooi when on tlie front, is called 
f toe crack ; and when on the side is called 




quarter crack. It may extend from the bot- 
tom to the top, or it may be only half way. 

TKEATMENT. 

If the crack is only just started, take a knife and 
cut across the crack close up to its top so as to 
start it in growing together again ; if it is clear 
across the foot and spreads open when the horse 
puts his foot to the ground, the edges of the hoof 
should be cut thin, and a strong shoe put on; then 
take tarred rope and wind around the foot, com- 
mencing at the heel close down to the shoe, winding 
one strand above the other until you get to the top 
of the hoof. Then fasten the end so that it will not 
get loose, and take a hot iron and burn across the 



AND HOW TO CURE THEM. i2ft 

top of the crack. Then apply daily the following 
with a brush all over the hoof : 

Linseed Oil 6 ounces. 

Oil of Tar 3 " 

Spirits of Turpentine 2 " 

When the shoe is removed, if the cord is loose, 
it should be tightened, and in two to three months 
the hoof will be all right. 

:0: 

FEVER IN THE FEET, COMMONLY CALLIB 
FOUNDER. 

The causes of this are hard driving on hard or 

rough roads, or driving until the animal is warm, 

and then letting him stand in a draft of wind ; or 

feeding or watering when he is too warm. 

SYMPTOMS. 

Sometimes the horse will refuse to eat, and some- 
times he will eat as if nothing was the matter ; hfe 
will stand lifting first one foot and then the other ; 
his hind legs will be well under hijn in order to 
take as. much as possible of his weight off the 
front feet ; so that in walking he seems to be quite 
stiff all over, while he really is not. He will lie 
down a great deal of the time ; the breathing is 
labored, the pulse is up to sixty-five. Place your 
hand on the feet and you will find them quite hot. 
There is another way to tell, which never fails ; 
th^t is to take a hammer and knock on the hoof; 
if he is aflected with fever in the feet he will show 
symptoms of great pain. * . : . 



126 DISEASES OF THE HORSE 

TREATMENT. 

Give the following medicirie in a drench : 

Barbadoes Aloes 6 drachma. 

Ginger 4 *' 

Linseed Oil 1 pint. 

Laudanum 1 ounce. 

Sulphuric Ether 1 *' 

Mix, and give in one dose. 

Then take the shoes oft and bleed in the saphena 
vein, just one inch above the wart ; the quantity 
should be two quarts from eacli leg. Then stand 
both feet in a foot bath filled with hot, but not 
scalding water, enough to cover the fetlock joint ; 
let the horse stand in this three hours, and then 
poultice both feet and change twice a day, for four 
days. Now tie a woolen cloth around the ankle 
just above the hoof, and let it hang over the hoof, 
wetting it with cold water twice a day, for four 
days, and then put on the shoes. After this let 
him run to grass for three weeks, and he will be 
entirely over it, so that the best judge in the world 
cannot tell that he ever had fever in the feet. 

:o: — 

CONTRACTED FEET. 

ITie causes of contracted feet are generally in- 
flammation in the feet ; or bad shoeing, such as 
cutting more off* the toe than oft' the heel, having 
the heels of the shoe too narrow ; or letting the 
shoes be on too long ; any of these will cause con- 
traction of the hoof. 



AND HOW TO CURE TEEM. 121 

SYMPTOMS. 

The horse will travel at first a little stiff, and 
when stopped will put out one of the feet, if only 
one is affected ; if both are affected he will put out 
one foot first, then draw it back and put out the 
other ; the longer he is allowed to go without at- 
tention the worse he will be, until he is quite stiff 
or lame. 

TREATMENT. 

When shoeing him have the foot cut down to 
the shape of a colt's foot. If you look at a coifs 
foot you will find that the heel is close to the 
ground, so that the hair on it nearly touches the 
ground. Now you will find that a horse affected 
with contracted hoofs has from two to three or 
three and a half inches of hoof at the heel, which 
raises it and lowers the toe, which in time will 
cause any horse to be lame. Have the most of this 
heel cut off, but very little of the toe ; then cut out 
the bars until they nearly bleed, and fit the shoe 
to the foot ; fit it le^^el all around the hoof, and do 
not have the heels of the shoe pressing against the' 
frog, but have it wide enough to allow the frog. to 
spread between the sides of the shoe ; before you 
nail the shoe on cut out the toe of the hoof about 
two inches wide, and enough so that when the shoe 
is on you can put a knife blade between the hoof 
and the shoe ; then nail the shoe on and leave the 
last nail out on the inside at the heel. Then apply 
the following liniment once a day, enough to 



m DISEASES OF THE HORSE 

moisten the hoof well ; and in a week or ten days 
the liqrse will be all right. 

Raw Linseed Oil I pint. 

Oil of Tar 6 ounces. 

Spirits of Turpentine 3 " 

:o: 

. PUMICED FEET, OR LAST STAGE OF FOUNDER. 

Pumiced feet are caused from 'the intensity of 
the inflammation of founder, and invariably fol- 
lows inflammation of the feet or a prick in the sole 
of the foot. 

SYMPTOMS. 

Pumiced feet will be known by the horse being 
very lame, and not resting much of his weight on 
the foot ; sometimes he wull go on three legs. On 
lifting up the leg you will And the bottom of the 
foot bulged out, and in some cases it will feel soft 
when you press upon it. In very bad cases the 
point of the coflin-bone will press out of the bot- 
tom of the sole ; but this is only in extremely bad 
cases. The coffin-bone receded from the crust, and 
between the crust and cofiin-bone there is a horny 
substance which speedily fills the space between 
them, and presses the coffin-bone through the sole,, 
causing the horse to walk on his heels. In some 
oases the front of the foot will be found to be flat 
and somewhat hollow. 

TREATMENT. 

There is no way to effect a cure when it has got 
to thiii stage ; all tliat can be done is by shoeing. 



N"^ 



AND HOW TO CURE THEM. 12» 

and this will only do when the animal is not very 
bad. If the coffin-bone is through the sole, the 
best way would be to destroy the animal at once ; 
if he is not very bad it will be well to try a bar 
shoe, and it shovild be hollowed out so that it will 
not press on the sole in the slightest degree, and a 
rim of leather should be put under the shoe to 
diminish concession. Do not cut off much of the 
hoof, but let it grow down so that it will save the 
sole, and the shoe should not be allowed to stay 
on over three weeks before it is removed. The 
hoof should be frequently anointed with the fol- 
lowing mixture : 

Oil of Tar ^ oxxnoen. 

, Fish Oil ^ 

Linseed Oil — "^ 

Spirits of Turpentine 2 



-:o: 



NAVICULAR JOINT LAMENESS. 

Navicular disease is caused by stepping on a 
round stone and rolling forward, by slipping on 
ice, by over-reaching, by strain, or by a sudden 
jar. The joint called the navicular joint is be- 
hind and beneath the lower pastern bone, and 
behind and above the heel of the coffin-bone ; it is 
so placed as to strengthen the union between the 
lower pastern and the coffin-bone, and to enable 
the flexor tendon, which passes over it in order to 
be inserted into the bottom of the coffin-bone, to 



ISO DISEASES OF THE HORSE 

act with more advantage ; the strain sometimes is 
so great that the navicular bone is fractured. 

SYMPTOMS. 

A horse with navicular lameness in severe cases 
will hold his leg up and Avill be afraid to put it to 
the ground, and when he travels will get worse 
instead of better ; in some cases he will put the 
foot out and rest on the toe. By examining the 
foot vou will discover that there is an enlaro-ement 
at the heel, and the flexor tendon is swollen and 
tender to the touch ; by pressing with the thumb 
cm the heel the horse will flinch ; then you may 
take the symptoms as indicative of navicular lame- 
ness. 

TREATMENT. 

Use cold applications by tying a woolen cloth 
around the fetlock joint, and keeping it wet with 
cold water for three or four days ; this will take 
out all the inflammation ; then apply enough of 
the following liniment to thoroughlj^ cover the 
afl'ected part, once a day, until better. You do 
not want to blister the coronet or the heel, for if 
you do you will get up inflammation, which is the 
very thing to avoid in these cases : 

Alcohol 6 ounces. 

Camphor 1 ** 

Beef Gall 2 " 

Laudanmn 2 " 

SweetOil 2 " 

In a we6k or ten days the horse wdll be all right ; * 
I never had one that lasted over ten days. 



'^ 



AND HOW TO CURE THEM. 131 

OVER-REACHING. 

This is caused by the horse stepping the hind 
feet on the heels of the fore feet, sometimes to such 
an extent as to throw the horse. It is sometimes 
caused by the horse interfering, and to avoid that 
lie strikes the front feet. 

TREATMENT. 

If the cause is interfering, appl}^ a blister be- 
tween the hind legs, and while it is sore he will 
step wide apart ; applied two or three times, he 
will learn to go better. If the cause is not that, 
but that he does not get his fore feet out of the way 
of the bind feet, buckle a round strap around the 
fetlock joint loosely, so that it will pla^^ up and 
down the joint ; that will make him get his front 
feet out of the way, and in a month he will travel 
all right. 



aUITTOR. 

Quittor is a running sore in the foot that dis- 
charges at the coronet, caused by getting graveled, 
b}' having the foot cut by the calk of the shoe on 
the other foot, by a severe bruise, or by being 
pricked with a nail in shoeing ; or indeed by any- 
thing that injures the foot so as to cause matter to 
accumulate ; not having a free discharge, it bur- 
rows deeper and deeper, forming pipes that 
branch off in different directions. 



132 DISEASES OF THE HORSE 

SYMPTOMS. 

The first appearance of quittor is a large swell- 
ing around the top of the foot, very hot and ten- 
der, causing severe lameness. 

TREATMENT. 

At first poultice the foot until it becomes soft 
and much of the lameness has been removed ; then 
open it with a knife ; make the cut so as to let the 
matter out, and inject into the quittor three times 
a day, a moderate quantity of the following: 
Chloride of zinc 20 grains, water 5 ounces. If it is 
of long standing, and pipes are formed, (which can 
be known by taking a small quill and making it 
smooth and probing the sore, being careful to ex- 
amine all around) take corrosive sublimate 20 
grains, tincture myrrh 2 ounces, and inject as be- 
fore, twice a day. 



-:o:- 



PRICKS OR WOUNDS IN THE SOLE OR CRUST. 

Pricks or wounds in the sole or crust are of two 
kinds, namely : those actually penetrating the sen- 
sitive structures, and those where the nails do not 
actually penetrate the sensitive parts, but are driven 
so near as to cause bulging of the inner layer of 
horn and pressure upon the sensitive interior, 
leading on to inflammation and great lameness, with 
or without suppuration. 



AND HOW TO CURE THEM. 133: 

TREATMENT. 

If the horse is lame from the effects of a nail in- 
the foot, the first step in the treatment is to pare 
down to the bottom of the puncture, to allow the 
escape of the matter formed, which is generally of. 
a dark color ; then place the foot in a poultice. 
Many cases if so treated are well in a few days. 
The wound may be dressed once a day with the 
tincture of myrrh or chloride of zinc, two grains 
to an ounce ot water. If it is caused by what 
are termed pricks or pressure, not actually pene- 
trating the sensitive part, but bulging the inner 
layers of the horn and pressing upon the sensitive 
interior lining, remove the shoe and poultice the 
foot for a few days, which will in any case get bet- 
ter in a short time, when the shoe can be put on. 
and the horse can go to work. 



-:o: 



BKUISE OF THE SOLE. 

Bruise on the thin sole is sometimes caused by 
the horse stepping on a round stone or spike or 
knot of wood, or anything which will cause mat-, 
ter to form. To ascertain this press on the -sole or 
tap it with a hammer, when the horse will 
flinch, so that it is evident the lameness is there. 

TREATMENT. 

Remove the shoe and place the foot in a warm 

bran poultice for three days. If it is not then 

^better, and the bruise seems to be under the oru»t 



134 DISEASES OF THE HORSE 

or horn, it should be cut away and the matter 
allowed to escape, and in a few days the horse 
will be fit to work. If the wound does not seem 
to^ heal, apply chloride of zinc, 3 grains to the 
ounce of water, for a few days ; that will heal it 
all up. 



-:o:- 



CORNS. 

Corns are the result of bruises caused bj^ bad 
shoeing or by getting a small stone under the shoe, 
or by running in the pasture very long without 
any shoes. 

SYMPTOMS. 

The horse will be lame ; at sometimes lamer than 
at others, especially when driven on hard roads or 
pavements ; when he steps he will rest his foot 
forward, and if it is in both fore fv^et, he will rest 
first one and then the other ; and when first started 
lie will seem to be very stiff, but will get better 
after driving a few rods. Corns are red spots in 
the triangular space included between the bars 
and the wall at the inside of the heel, occurring in 
the fore feet, and almost invariably in the inside 
heel, but sometimes on both sides of the heel. 

TREATMENT. 

Remove the shoes and poultice with warm bran 
with a handful of mustard in it ; if the corn has 
festered, cut it away and make a vent for the mat- 
ter ; in a few daj^s apply butter of antimony well 



AND now TO CURE THEM. mi 

over the wliole extent of the corn ; this will stop 
it from growing again, and will bring on a new 
horn over the spot where the corn was. If the corn 
is not festered, cut it away and poultice for a few 
days, then appl}^ daily for a week butter of anti- 
mony ; this will stop it from growing again, and 
there will never be a corn on that place unless it is 
brought on by the same means that caused the 
first one. In applying the shoe it should be dished 
out so that it will not press on the spot where the 
corn is, and the last nail on the inside should be 
left out. The feet should be smeared over three 
times a week with the following : 

Linseed Oil 6 ounce8. 

Oil of Tar !....3 " 

Kerosene Oil 3 " 

Spirits of Turpentine 2 " 

, Shake well together before using. 

It should be applied on the bottom of the feet 
and all over the hoof up to the heel and coronet. 

:o: 

, THRUSH. 

Thrush is a discharge of foetid matter from the 
cleft of the frog, arising from a diseased condition 
of the secretory surface of the cleft of the frog, 
which is the part commonly first aifected, but when 
neglected the disease spreads over the whole organ, 
detaching the horn from the bulbs of the heel to 
the toe of the frog. The more common causes of 



136 DISEASES OF THE HORSE 

this are filth from the urine and faeces, and turning- 
out to grass in wet pastures. 

TREATMENT. 

This is easily cured. Keep the diseased parts 
clean, and if the disease is very deep cut away 
the cleft or frog so as to get to the bottom of the 
trouble, then put the foot in a poultice for two or 
three days, and apply butter of antimony so as to 
cover over the whole of the diseased parts for three 
days ; then apply tincture of iodine 1 ounce, • 
glycerine 2 ounces, with a feather, once a day till 
better ; this will cure the worst case if taken in 
time. 

:o: 



CANKER. 

Canker differs from thrush, in that it not only 
affects the frog, but also the sensitive part of the 
foot and rapidly extends to the sole and even the 
sensitive lamina?, but it is not a rare thing to see 
it commencing in other parts of the foot. 

SYMPTOMS. , 

The first symptom of canker is strongly marked, 
and consists of abundant foetid, colorless, offen- 
sively smelling masses of matter which involve 
the frog, the bars and the sole, and makes the 
foot one mass of putrefaction. 

TREATMENT. 

Place the foot in a warm poultice and dress the 
fungus growths with butter of antimony ; merely 



AND HOW TO CUBE THEM. 137 

smear the top of them with it, aud then cut away 
the old horn or hoof so as to make vent for the dis- 
charge of the matter ; then dress daily with chloride 
of zinc, 4 grains to an ounce of water, and also inject 
it into the fungus twice a day. After a week' s treat- ^ 
ment the horse should be turned out to grass for 
two months, when the cure will be complete. 

RING BONES. 

liingbones are of two kinds, true and false. 
The false ringbone is from accident, caused by hav- 
ing the pastern accidentally cut ; when very large 
it may cause lameness. A true ringbone is pro- 
duced by violent inflammation of the ligaments of 
the joints, and is recognized by enlargements or 
bony tumors on each side of the foot, just above 
the coronet, and sometimes close down to the 
coronet, which cause considerable lameness, 
which disappears as the horse grows older. 

TREATMENT. 

Cut the hair close to the enlargement, and apply 
the following : 

Oirganum Oil 2 ounces. 

Oil of Spike ....2 

Oil of Cedar .....1 

Alcohol..*. 4 

Camphor Gum 2 

Spirits of Turpentine 2 

Chloroform 3 

Shake well before using. 

Apply once a day, and rub well in with the 

18 



138 DISEASES OF THE HORSE 

hand, and if the lameness does not disappear in 
two months, apply the following once a day, for 
three days, then leave off for three days, and if no 
better, apply as before, and rub well in with the 
^and. A lump the size of a hickory nut will be 
sufficient. 

Red Iodide Mercury 1 ounce. 

Lard 8 " ' 

Mix well together. 

CAEE OF THE FEET. 

After your horse has come in wash all his legs 

from the knee down, with lukewarm water ; while 

doing so, have a hook and clean out the feet and 

wash them out clean, and wipe them with a towel 
or stroke them with the hands ; you need not rub 
them till they get dry, as it does not matter if they 
are a little moist. Apply the following with a 
brush, about three times a week : 

Linseed Oil 6 ounces. 

Soft Soap 6 " 

Oil of Tar '. 3 " 

Shake well before usiiig. 

The above will keep the 'hoof moist and cool ; in 
applying it the foot should be lifted up and some 
of it applied to the sole and heels, then let the foot 
down and apply it to the fron*t of the hoof and 
sides, up to the hair or to the top of the hoof; it 
will keep the hoof nice and smooth. An applica- 
tion of this liquid to the bottom of the foot is bet- 
ter than stopping the foot with clay or cow manure, 
or any other stopping you can get. 



CH^rPTEI?/ xv. 



• <» • 



Twenty Different Fractures. 



«■♦ • 




FRACTURE OF THE SKULL. 
.RACTURE of the skull is caused by the 
^ horse rearing up, fallino; over oil his back 
and striking his head against a stone or on 
the hard road, or it may be caused by being 
kicked on the head by another horse, by being 
struck with a fork handle, a club, or by bumping, 
the head against a beam, or in twenty other differ- 
ent ways* 

SYMPTOMS. 

The horse will be stupid, and will stagger and 
fall, and .when down will move his legs as if trav- 
eling ; his eyes are nearly closed, his breathing 
laborious, and sometimes he will carry his head 
low, almost to the ground, while his lower lip 
hangs down as in palsy. Treatment is of no 



UO DISEASm OF THE HORSE 

avail, and the best plan will be to put him out ot 
his trouble at once. 

:o: 

FRACTURE OF THE NASAL BONES. 
Fracture of the nasal bones is caused by a stroke 
vsiith a fork handle or other weapon, or by throw- 
ing the head up and striking it against a beam, or 
by being kicked by another horse. 

Symptoms. 

The symptoms of fracture of the membrane of 
the nose are a considerable follow of blood, and 
the falling in of the fractured pieces of bone into 
the air passage, whereby the space for breathing- 
is diminished, and difficulty of respiration is the 
result. 

TREATMENT. 

Apply cold water to the fracture until hem- 
orrhage is stopped ; then pass an iron rod up the 
nostril and press the bulged part out ; then apply 
over the fractured part a plaster of 

Beeswax Bounces. 

Tar 3 " 

Burgundy Pitch 6 ** 

Flour ' 2 " 

Melt in an old frying pan. When all melted 
and nearly cool, put in two scruples of canthari- 
des and stir well together ; when it is middling 
warm apply a good coating of it over the fracture 
and then lay on some tow or flax, and pat it well 



AND HOW TO CURE THEM. 141 

with the hand ; then appl}^ another coat over 
the tow, and then another coat of- plaster, and 
then a light coat of tow, and smooth it with your 
hand ; moisten with water, and in three or ^four 
weeks the fracture will be knitted together. Do 
not take the plaster off, it will come away of itself 
in a month or five weeks. 



FRACTURE OF THE UPPER JAW. 

The fracture of the upper jaw is caused by a 
kick or by falling. It is so readily seen it needs 
no description. So that it is only necessary for 
me to give the 

TREATMENT. 

Apply the following plaster: Beeswax 3 
ounces, tar 3 ounces, burgundy pitch 6 ounces, 
flour 2 ounces ; melt together, and when nearly 
cold put in 2 scruples of cantharides and melt well 
together ; heat till it is quite warm, but not hot, 
and spread with a spoon over the fracture, enough 
to form a coat ; then spread over it enough tow to 
form a coat, and apply more of the plaster, then 
another coat of tow, and pat it with a moist hand 
until you get it in the shape you want the jaw, 
and in three weeks I have had the jaw nearly 
knitted sound.. 



:o:- 



142 DISEASES OF THE HORSE 

FRACTURE OF THE LOWER JAW. 
This jaw is* more subject to fracture than the 
up;^r jaw. It is caused by a kick, or by falling, 
or by the blow of a stone, or by many other causes. 

TREATMENT. 

Sometimes the horse in falling fractures the jaw 
or splits it in front ; the treatment will be to have 
the jaw wired together by means of brass wire 
wound around the outside nipper, and to make it 
stay file in the side of the outside teeth with a three- 
cornered file ; then bind the wire three or four 
times around the teeth. Before you bind see that 
there is no hay seed or chaff, or slivers of bone be- 
tween the fractured bones. After they are bound 
together there will be nothing more wanted but to 
feed the horse on soft food for three weeks ; by 
that time reunion will be established ; the wire, 
however, should not be removed for a mouth or 
more, when it will be safe to remove it. The jaw 
is sometimes fractured on one side and sometimes 
on both sides ; when it is fractured on both sides 
it is more difficult to cure ; it can be cured, how- 
ever, by cutting down to the bone and drilling a 
hole through each side of the fractured bone on 
one side and the same on the other side, and pass- 
ing silver plated wire through the holes, drawing 
the broken parts together and fastening them with 
wire, cutting the ends so that they will not chafe 
the tongue or sides of the lips. Then by putting 



AND HOW TO CUBE THEM. 143 

a plaster as recommended for fracture of the upper 
Jaw, applying it over the fractured place and pad- 
ding it with tow, it will after being on three hours, 
get as hard as a stone, and will hold the jaw in its 
place without anything else. If the fracture is on 
one side, tlie application of this plaster is all that 
will be required for its cure. The horse should 
be fed on gruel and soft food for three weeks, and 
in four or five weeks the cure will be complete. 



:o: 



FEACTURE OF PART OF LOWER JAW. 

A fracture of the two front nippers on the lower 
jaw, with part of the jaw, is sometimes caused by. 
a kick or by the horse getting his lower teeth under 
the pole or a chain and throwing his head up 
suddenly. 

TREATMENT. 

Wash the part out with cold water and clean 
out fragments of bone or hay seed that may have 
got in ; then file the side of the outside teeth with a 
three cornered file; take some brass wire and wind it 
around those teeth and bring the broken ones to 
their places ; then draw the wire tight, and if the 
teeth project outward too much fasten the wire 
around the tush and that will draw them to their 
proper places ; fasten the ends of the wire so that 
they will not chafe the tongue- or sides of the lips,, 
and give soft feed, and in four weeks the cure will 
be complete. 



144 DISEASES OF THE HORSE 

FRACTURE OF THE SPINE. 

Fracture of the spine is caused by falling, as 
in rearing up and falling over backwards ; jump- 
ing over fences ; falling down an embankment : 
falling across a stone, log or fence rail, and some- 
times by getting cast in tlie stall. 

SYMPTOMS. 

In broken back the horse cannot rise up, but 
can move his hind legs and tail a little ; in broken 
or dislocated back bone there will be swelling 
over the fractured part, and it will be very hot 
there ; the horse will keep continually turning his 
head around and looking towards his back and 
showing symptoms of pain. There is no cure for 
this kind of fracture, and the best plan is to put 
him out of his misery as soon as the injury is dis- 
covered. 

:o: 

FRACTURE OF THE RIBS. 

Fracture of the ribs is caused by a kick, by 
falling down an embankment, running against 
fences, etc, 

SYMPTOMS. ^ 

Broken ribs sometimes press against the lungs 
and cause laborious breathing ; by putting the 
hand down the side you will discover a hollow in 
the side and one rib, will be missing. The ribs are 
generally fractured about the middle. After it is 
discovered there can be but little did in the way of 



AND HOW TO CURE THEM. 145 

cure. If the rib is really broken and pressing 
against the lungs, the best that can be done is to 
put him out of his misery at once ; but if the ribs 
are broken and not pressing against the lung, there 
is a chance of cure. 

TREATMENT. 

Put a bandage around the barrel made of some- 
thing strong, with buckles on it, drawing it mid- 
dling tight and keeping it so for two weeks ; by 
that time the cure will be complete. Feed the 
horse all the hay that he will eat, but do not give 
him much oats ; he will eat a good deal of hay 
which will fill him out, and by so doing it will 
press the broken ribs to their natural position. 

:o: 

DISLOCATION OF THE TAIL. 

Dislocation of the tail is caused by entanglement, 
or by striking it with a fork handle, or lifting on 
the tail in raising a horse. 

SYMPTOMS. 

The tail will be crooked, and the lower part very 
loose and limber. 

TREATMENT. 

Tie the horse in the stall and let one man take 
hold of the tail while another finds where the dis- 
location is ; then let the one who has the tail pull 
gently, while the other presses the dislocated bone 
into its place, and it will be all right. This must 
be done soon after it is dislocated, or it cannot be 
M'ot back to its proper place again. 

19 



146 DISEASES OF THE HORSE 

FRACTURE OF THE SHOULDER. 

Fracture of the shoulder is caused by a slip or a 
kick from another hoise, or from running away 
and striking against a lamp post or tree ; falling 
down an embankment also sometimes causes 
fracture of the shoulder. 

SYMPTOMS. 

The legs hangs pendulous ; he drags his toe along 
the ground, moves slowly and with difficulty by 
hopping on three legs ; if the leg is handled a crack- 
ling: sound will be heard. 



TEEATMENT, 



If the fractured shoulder is that of a colt, it may 
be tried to complete a cure in the following man- 
ner : Apply the plaster as for fracture of the upper 
jaw, only have it so that it covers the w^hole of the 
fractured part ; do not sling the colt but let him 
run in a box stall, he will take care of the broken 
leg with as much care as you would of your own. 
If the colt is not more than six months old, a cure 
can be made in six weeks, but if the fracture is on 
an older horse he had better be destroyed. 

FRACTURE OF THE ARM. 

Fracture of the arm is caused by a kick^ by a 
slip on ice, or from a blow. 

SYMPTOMS. 

The limb hanging loosely, and if taken and 
moved by the hand the broken bones can be heard 



AND HOW TO CURE THEM. 147 

grating together ; tliere can never be a cure estab- 
lished that will amount to anything, and the better 
plan would be to kill him at once. 



-:o:- 



FEACTURE OF THE ELBOW. 

Fracture of the elbow is caused by a sudden 
slip or by a kick. It is known by the altered 
action of the limb and the crackling noise of the 
broken bones. Treatment is of no avail, and the 
animal should be destroyed to end its pain. 

:o: 

FRACTUEE OF THE PATELLA. 

Fracture of the patella is caused by a blow or 
kick, and if it is once fractured it can never be 
cured, for the broken bones can never be brought 
together again. It will therefore be money in the 
owner' s pocket to destroy the animal at once. 

:o: 

FEACTTJEE OF THE HAUIfCH. 

Fracture of the haunch is caused b}^ slipping or 
])y falling on a stone or stump. 

SYMPTOMS. 

The horse in walking will rest little weight on 
that leg, but will drag it along the ground ; he 
throws the injured leg out, and one hip is lower 
than the other. By placing your hand on the hip 
and letting the horse move, still keeping it there, 
you will feel the fractured bones grate together. 



148 DISEASES OF THE HORSE 

TREATMENT. 

Apply an adhesive plaster of beeswax 3 ounces, 
Burgundy pitch 6 ounces, flour 2 ounces, can- 
tharides 2 scruples ; melt altogether and spread 
on a good coating with a spoon and work well into 
the hair, then apply some tow and work it into the 
plaster, continue until you have put on three coats, 
the last of which should be of tow ; then with a 
moist hand pat the tow down and smooth it. Turn 
the horse into a box stall and in six weeks he will 
be cured so that you cannot tell which leg was 
fractured. The plaster should stay on till it comes 
off of itself. 



-:o: 



FRACTURE OF THE HOCK. 

Fracture of the hock is caused by the horse get- 
ting his leg through a bridge, or jumping over 
fences and not clearing his hind legs. 

SYMPTOMS. 

The leg from the hock down is quite pendulous, 
and on moving it the rasping of the fractured bones 
against each other can be plainly heard ; the leg 
swells to an enormous size. The treatment of this 
kind of fracture is very difficult. After the bone 
becomes united it is liable to leave the joint stiff. 
The better way would be to kill the animal at once. 



FRACTURE OF THE COMMON OR SHANK BONE. 
Fracture of the common or shank bone is caused 
by a kick, by jumping over fences, by getting the 



AND HOW TO CURE THEM. 149 

leg in a hole or through a bridge, etc. The symp- 
toms of fracture of this bone are too well known to 
need description, so I will only give the means of 

cure 

TREATMENT. 

Apply the adhesive plaster, (see fracture of 
haunch) have the leg kept as straight as possible ; 
if any (»f the bones are not close together great care 
should be taken to bring the divided edges togeth- 
er and retain them there until the plaster and 
bandage is put on ; have the plaster, bandages 
and splints ready. The splints should be of hick- 
ory, ten inches in length, two inches wide and two- 
eighths of an inch thick, and should be soaked in 
hot water ; have the plaster warm, and apply some 
of it over the fracture, enough to give it a thick 
coating ; then put on some tow and work it well 
into the plaster, and apply more plaster and tow 
— several layers ; then put on the splints, one on 
each side of the leg, one in front of the leg and a 
narrow one behind ; now bandage snug, but not 
too tightly. Do not put the horse in slings, but 
let him loose in a box stall ; the plaster will get 
hard, and will liold the broken joint as fast as if it 
was in a mould, and in six weeks or two months 
it will be so that he can run out to pasture, and 
the fractured joint will be knitted together in some 
cases as smooth as if there never was a fracture of 
that bone. 



150 DISEASES OF THE HORSE 

FRACTURE OE THE UPPEE PASTERST. 

Fracture of the upper pastern is caused by 
falling, getting the legs in a hole, as in a bridge 
sluice, and kicking, or by stumbling. 

SYMPTOMS. 

The fetlock will be swollen, and moving the foot 
will cause a crackling noise. The horse w^ill not 
rest any weight on the limb, but will caA-y it in 
the air. 

TREATMENT. 

Put the horse in a box stall, apply the adhesive 
plaster used in fracture of the haunch ; then 
bandage middling tight, and in a month or six 
weeks he will be entirely over it ; and a month's run 
at grass will give him time to gain strength and be 
tit for work. 

:o: 

FRACTURE OF THE LOWER PASTERN. 

Fracture of the lower pastern is caused by the 
animal slipping or stepping on a round stone and 
slipping forward, causing fracture of that bone, 
which is sometimes splintered into several pieces. 

SYMPTOMS. 

The horse when driving will sudden Ij^ stop and 
hold up that foot, and the pastern will soon begin 
to swell ; to make sure that it is fracture of the 
lower pastern, hold up the leg and move the foot, 
and then you will hear the grating noise of the 
broken bones. 



AND HOW TO CURE THEM. 151 

TREATMENT. 

Apply tlie plaster used in fracture of the haunch 
\>y heating it pretty warm and applying it around 
the pastern close down to the coronet or top of the 
hoof ; then apply the tow and work it well in the 
plaster, then another coat of plaster, then a coat of 
tow, till three coats of each have been put on ; 
the last coat should be tow, then with a moist hand 
work it close to the skin, and fix the foot in the 
position that it should be. Do not sling the horse, 
but let him run in a box stall, and in six weeks or 
two months he will be entirely recovered, when 
he may be turned out to grass. 



FEACTTJUE OF THE COFFIN BONE. 

Fracture of the coffin-bone is caused by a slip or 
by stepping on a round stone, and it rolling from 
under the foot. 

SYMPTOMS. 

The horse will stop almost instantly and hold 
the foot off the ground and go on three legs, the 
foot will be very hot and tender and the symptoms 
of pain very great. 

TREATMENT. 

First put the horse in a box stall. All that this 
kind of fracture requires is to keep down inflam- 
mation, and this can be done by wrapping a 
woolen cloth around the fetlock joint and wetting 
four or five times a day with cold waiter, and nature 
will do the rest. I have setn them recover in 



1&2 DISEASES OF THE HORSE 

three weeks so that they could walk quite well 
on the foot that was fractured. 



FRACTURE OF THE NAVICULAR BONE. 

This is caused by slipping on ice, by trotting 
fast and stepping the toe on a round stone, or by 
having a nail in the foot penetrating the navicular 
bone. Treatment is out of the question ; if the 
fractured parts should unite together, there would 
be irreparable lameness, and the animal had better 
be destroyed at once. 



OHj^IPTEI?. xvi. 



Diseases of the Skin, 



HIDE-BOUND. 

^^I^HE causes of hide-bound are exposure to 
wet and cold, an insufficient quantity of 
food ; or sometimes the result of some other 
diseases, particularly of those of the diges- 
tive organs. 

SYMPTOMS. 

The symptoms of hide-bound are an unthrifty 
coat, the skin quite tight to his ribs ; it feels dried 
and rough, and the hair will stare instead of being 
glossy, soft and oily ; in health the skin should be 
soft and thin and loose on the ribs. 

TREATMENT. 

Give the following powder, one tablespoonful, 
night and morning in his feed of hot bran mashes, 

20 



154 DISEASES OF THE HORSE 

for a week or ten days ; he should filso have good 
sound oats, not too man}'', but all he will eat 
clean up : 

Nitrate of Potash 6 ounces. 

Ginger 8 *' 

Gentian 2 " 

Black Antimony 1 " 

Green Copperas ! 2 " 

Tartar Emetic 2 " 

* 

By the time this medicine is used' up the horse 
will be entirely*recovereri ; his skin will be again 
soft and glossy. 

:o: 

PSORA. 

Psora is of two kinds, the dry and the moist ; 
its causes are too high feeding and not enough 
exercise. 

SYMPTOMS. 

The symptoms of dr}^ psora are small pimples 
arising on any part of the body, which subse- 
quently scale off, so tlmt the place they occupied 
seems covered with a grayish powder. Moist psora 
gives rise to small pustules which are elevated 
above the skin, and pour out a gummy fluid, 
which soon dries by the air, and is converted into 
a crust ; sometimes forming small ulcers which 
have a tendency to deepen and eat their way into 
the skin and destroy the roots of the hair, causing 
it to fall out. In either form it causes considerable 
itching. 



tt 



AND HO W TO CUBE THEM. 155 

1. TKEATMENT. 

Give night and morning for a week, in a hot 
bran mash, one tablespoonful of the following 
powder : 

Sulphur,.... 3 ouncas. 

Sulphate of Magnesia 4 " 

Nitrate of Potash 4 " 

Ginger 3 " 

Green Copperas 3 " 

:o:- 

MANGE. 

The cause of mange is neglect of cleanliness and 
poverty of condition. ' * 

SYMPTOMS. 

The symptoms are a dry scurf, and the horse 
will rub and scratch against any object in his 
reach ; this loose scurf will spread over the 
shoulder and neck, and if allowed to run it will 
eventually spread over the whole body and take 
the hair off, leaving the horse with only a bunch 
on the end of his tail, and on the legs up to his 
knees ; the second stage will be little lumps or 
blisters on the skin where the hair came off, which 
will change to scabs, which likewise soon peel off 
and leave a wider scab ; this process goes on and 
the skin soon becomes more or less folded or puck- 
ered, till the horse becomes one mass of sores, and 
death ends his suffering. * 

TREA.TMENT. 

Apply the following with a sponge once a day 



« 



156 DISEASES OF THE HORSE 

till better, to the places where the horse rubs him- 
self ; use enough to moisten the skin : 

Oil of Tar.... 4 ounces. 

Whale Oil 6 " 

Kerosene Oil 4 " 

Shake well before using. 

:o: 

RINGWORM. 

This is a disease occasioned by a worm or grub 
under the skin, causing the hair to fall off in a 
circle, accompanied by slight swelling and itchi- 
ness of the skin ; it does not affect one particular 
kind or condition of horse, but all seem to be 
affected alike. 

TREATMENT. 

Rub well into the skin or place where the hair 
is off the following with a sponge once a day, and 
in three days it will be cured : 

Oil of Tar 2 ounces. 

WhaleOil 3 •' 

Kerosene Oil 2 " 

Put in a bottle and shake well before using. 
:o: 

SURFEIT. 

The cause of surfeit is sweating the horse and 
giving cold water, or driving him in a storm till he 
is heated. 

SYMPTOMS. 

The symptoms are small round blotches or spots 
resembling blisters that arise on the human being ; 



AND HOW TO CUBE THEM. 197 

they come on the shoulder and sides, and along 
the loins. 

TREATMENT. 

Take one quart of strong vinegar and twenty 
grains of bichloride of mercury, and boil ten 
minutes ; apply it warm but not hot, twice a day,' 
and in three days the blotches or spots will have all 
disappeared, and the cure will be complete. 



•:o: 



LARVA, OR GRUBS IN THE SKIN. 

These grubs are caused by the deposit of an egg 
by the gadfly on the horse' s back. The warmth of 
the animal hatches the egg into a sort of maggot 
which burrows into the skin and remains until the 
next spring, causing a small lump to raise which 
is very annoying to the horse. The only wa.y to 
get rid of these grubs is to cut a small hole in the 
skin and squeeze them out, then apply chloride of 
zinc 2 grains to the ounce of water, with a sponge, 
for two or three days. 



■:0: 



WARTS. 

Warts are of two kinds, one being on tlie out- 
side of the skin and any place on the body, some- 
times on the ears and eyes : usually having a small 
base and a rough surface, and generally growing 
larger if not cured ; if touched they usually bleed. 



158 DISEASES OF THE HORSE 

TKEATMENT. , 

If the wart is in the ear take a waxed cord and 
tie it tightly around the lower part of it, and in two 
or three days it will drop off ; if on any other part 
of the body they may be touched with butter of 
antimony around the base every other day, and in 
a few days they will drop off and leave the skin 
smooth. The other kind is a wart under the skin, 
the top smooth, soft and tender when pressed upon ; 
this kind should be opened with a knife and the 
contents will be found black, mixed with matter ; 
it should be removed and the wound dressed with 
a solution of white vitriol, 3 grains to the ounce of 
water : after dressing a few times it will be all 
right. 



:o: 



LICE. 

Horses often get lice on them by having poultry 
to roost in the same barn where they are kex^t ; 
sometimes they are caused by debility and un- 
cleanliness. 

SYMPTOMS. 

The animal is not easy for a single moment, he 
rubs his skin against every thing he can ; he 
stamps the ground continually ; strikes his bell3^ 
bites every part of his body he can reach with his 
mouth ; at night his torments increase so much 
that should the animal be abandoned to himself, he 
rubs and bites himself to that degree that he tears 
his skin and carries portions away in his mouth, 



AND BOW TO CUBE THEM. Ifi9 

denuding himself extensive!}^ of his skin ; nor 
does he stop until the smarting pains cease. 

TREATMENT. 

Apply the following from the tip of tHe nose to 
the end of the tail, then over the shoulder down 
to the hoof on both sides ; then across the small 
of the back and around the belly. Put on enough 
of the fluid to moisten the skin when applied. One 
application is enough to cure the worst case : 

Scotch Snuff 2 ouncea. 

* KcroseneOil 4 " 

Whale Oil 6 " 

Shake well together in a bottle before using. 



ohj^ipteiE; x:"vii. 



Surgical Operations, 



WILL not give the different kinds of surgical 

operations necessary in every branch of a 

veterinary practice, but a few instructions in 

the manner of conducting the principal ones : 

First I will give the proper manner of throwing a 

horse, an operation necessary to almost every other 

one : Place a bridle on your horse, then put a 

surcingle on and a strap about eight feet long, 

with a buckle on one end of it. Fasten that end 

on the foot, and have a line run through the bit 
ring ; now stand on the right side of your horse, 
take this line in your left hand, then take the line 
that is fastened to the foot of the right fore leg, run 
it through the surcingle and over the back ; take 
hold of this line and draw the horse' s head around ; 
next draw the front foot up and hold it there and 



AND HOW TO CURE THEM. 161 

the horse will first kneel down and then lie down. 
There should be one man at the head to keep him 
from knocking it. If one leg is to be operated on 
it can be let loose from the others, and a cord tied 
to it and held by an assistant. In performing any 
surgical operation, the operator should have a cor- 
rect knowledge of the parts upon which he is going 
to operate. Make up your mind before commenc- 
ing just where you are going to cut, and how much 
you are to cut, and always be careful to accom- 
plish as much at one cut as possible ; have ready 
a sponge, a pail of water, needles, twine, cord, 
knife, hook to take up the blood vessels and to stop 
bleeding, and all the necessary appliances for the 
operation, so that you won' t have to run first for 
one thing and then for another. 



:o:- 



BLEEDmO. 

This operation is performed with a lieam or lan- 
cet. The first is the common instrument and the 
safest except in skillful hands ; the lancet however 
has a more surgical appearance, and will be 
adopted by the veterinary surgeon. A piece of 
hard wood is used to strike the fleam into the vein. 
For general bleeding the jugular vein is selected, 
the horse 'is held by the halter by an attendant, 
his head turned well aw^ay ; smooth his hair along 
the course of the vein with the moistened finger, 

21 



162 DISEASES OF THE HORSE 

then with the third and little finger of the left hand 
which holds the fleam, pressure is made on tlie 
the vein sufficient to bring it fairly into view, the 
fleam is now laid on the vein, and a sharp tap with 
the stick will cut through it and the blood will 
the flow. When enough has been taken the lips of 
wound may be brought together and pinned. Six 
or seven hairs from the tail may be wound around 
the pin — the next day the pin can be drawn out. 
For bleeding in local inflammation, blood may be 
taken from any of the superficial veins ; in sup- 
posed affection of the shoulder or of the fore legs 
or foot, the saphena vein may be opened, one inch 
above the wart. This can be don^ with a small 
sharp pointed knife ; the quantity to be taken is 
from two to three quarts. When the operation iji 
completed the vein should be pinned together in 
the manner described above, and a bandage put 
around the leg, which will stop the bleeding. In foot 
cases it may be taken from the toe, not by cutting out 
a piece of the sole at the toe of the fryg which some- 
times causes a wound difficult to heal, and fol- 
lowed by festering, and even by canker, but by 
cutting down with a fine drawing knife, called a 
searcher, at the union between the crust and the 
sole at the verv toe until the blood flows, and if 
necessary encouraging its discharge by dipping 
the foot in warm water. The network of both 
arteries and veins will be here divided, and blood 
is generally obtained in any quantity that maybe 



AND HOW TO aUHE THEM. ir,« 

needed ; the bleeding may be stopped with the 
greatest ease by placing a bit of tow in the little 
groove that has been cut, and tacking the shoe 
over it. 

PHYSICKING. 

The mucous coat of the intestines of the horse 
appears to be more irritable than in man ; it also 
occupies relatively a larger extent of surtace. The 
length of the intestines is ninety feet in an average 
sized horse, the small intestines seventy feet, the 
large ones twenty ; the average time it takes to 
physic a horse is from twelvemo twenty -four hours. 
The following is certainly the best purgative : Bar- 
badoes aloes 6 drachms, ginger 1 drachm, linseed 
oil one pint ; for young colts and foals : for foals 
three days one teacupful of linseed oil with one tea- 
spoonful of aloes and ginger, add a little warm 
water ; at one year old give two teaspoonfuls of aloes 
in one gill of linseed oil, and one teaspoonful of 
ginger, add a little warm water ; tor two j^ear olds 
give half the dose that you would for a full grown 
horse. If the purging is copious no exercise 
should be given ; but if otherwise, it will much 
assist the operations to give a greater or lesser 
amount of exercise as may be required. 

:o: 



164 DISEASES OF TEE HORSE 

ROWELING. 

This is done by cutting th rough the skin in the 
breast and working a pocket as big as an egg ; then 
fill it with leather or tow, smeared with simple 

blistering salve ; after it has been in two weeks it 
may be taken out, and the wound will heal up "of 
itself ; its uses are to cleanse the blood or to remove 
lameness in the shoulder. 



PUTTING IN A SETON. 

This is done by putting a piece of tape through 
the skin with a seton needle, and drawing the ends 
and tying them together ; then smear the tape with 

simple blister salve. The seton is used for the pur- 
pose of drawing inflammation from a certain place, 
as for instance, from the eye, where its use is of 
great benefit ; or for swellings or lameness in the 
foot, w^here it works with the best results. 



-:o: 



CASTRATION. 

The period at which this operation may be best 
performed depends much on the breed and form 
of the colt, and the purpose for which he is des- 
tined. For the common horse, the age of four or 
five months will be the most proper time, or at 
least before he is weaned ; few are lost when cut at 
that age. Care, however, should be taken that the 



AND HOW TO CURE THEM. 165 

weather is not too hot nor tiies too numerous. If 
the horse is designed either for the carriage or for 
heavy draught, the farmer should not think of 
castrating him until he is at least twelve months 
old, and even then the colt should be carefully ex- 
amined ; if he is thin and spare about the neck 
and shoulders, and low in the withers, he will 
materially improve by remaining uncut another 
six months ; but if his fore quarters are fairly de- 
veloj)ed at the age of twelve months, the operation 
should not be delayed lest he becomes heavy and 
gross before, and perhaps has begun too decidedly 
to have a will of his own. No specific age then 
can be fixed, but the castration should be per- 
formed rather late in the spring or early in the 
autumn, when the weather is dry. 

THE OPERATION. 

The best plan — by means of caustic — requires 
two pieces of wood, each about six inches long 
and an inch square, with a notch or neck at each 
end to hold the twine by which they are tied to- 
gether, and a groove in the two opposite surfaces 
to hold the caustic. This is composed of one part 
of corrosive sublimate and four of fiour, made into 
a paste with water, and introduced while moist 
into the grooves, which it should completely fill ; 
the horse is then secured, and the operator kneel- 
ing on the left side, grasps the testicle so as to 
make the skin of the scrotum covering it quite 
tense : a longitudinal incision about three inches 



183 DISEASES OF THE IIOESE 

long is then made down to the testicle, which if 
care has been taken that there is no rupture, may 
jpe rapidly done, a wound of its surface not being 
of the slightest consequence, and giving far less 
pain 'than the slow haggling dissection of its (Cov- 
erings which is sometiiTjes practiced to avoid it. 
The testicle can now be cleared of its coverings 
and gently laid hold of with the hand, the operator 
raising it from its bed ; the pieces of wood can 
then be adjusted on each one of the cords and firm- 
ly held together with pincers by an assistant, 
while the operator binds their ends together with 
waxed string ; the testicle may now be removed 
with the knife. If the string has been sufficiently 
tight, in six days the cords at each end of the sticks 
may be cut ; they will spring open and in a few 
days will fall off themselves, and all will be right. 



POLL EVIL AND FISTULA. 

If the tumor has matter in it, let it out by making 
a vent at the lower side so that it can freely dis- 
charge ; if the tumor has pipes in it, lay them open 
with the knife, do not be afraid of cutting open 
every pipe you can find ; then dress the wound as' 
you would any other wound, and inject in it twice 
a day of the following lotion, and in a week it will 
be healed : Chloride of zinc 4 grains to 1 ounce of 
water. 

Fistula requires the same treatment as poll evil. 



AND HOW TO CURE TJIEM. 167 

TUMORS ON THE SHOULDER. 

Tumor on the shoulder can be cut out as follows : 
Put a twitch on the horse and make a deep incis- 
ion through the skin, work the tiesh off the tumor 
with the knite, until you come to the thread 
or Qord that holds it on ; twist the tumor around 
a number of times, and then cut the cord and take 
the tumor away : then inject in the wound three 
times a day of the follovving : Chloride of zinc 
4 drachms to half a pint of water. 



:o: 



DOCKiisra 

Docking is cutting ofi' the tail, and it is done 
whenever it is wished to make a bob tail, or when 
the horse has got a habit of getting«the tail under 
ihe lines. It is done by first parting the hair nice 
and even at the place where you wish to cut, and 
tying that which is to be left on the tail back out 
of the way, then lay a block on the hips and stand 
by the side of the horse, drawing the tail up over 
the back until it rests on the block in the right 
position ; let an assistant stand on the other side 
of the horse and hold it there ; then place some 
sharp instrument on it, and with a blow from a 
mallet or hammer cut it off ; being sure to separate 
it with one cut, then let it bleed a few minutes, and 
bind on the end a puff ball and pull the hair ^)ver 
it, and tie it in such a manner as to keep the ball 



168 DISEASES OF THE HOUSE 

stop tight up against the end of the tail, which will 
the bleeding. Let it stay on twenty-four hours^ 
then take it off and wash the tail clean, and it will 
heal without difficulty. Do not burn the end of 
the tail or cord it tight, for it causes the hair to 
drop out. 



-:o: 



PRICKING. 

Pricking is merely to cause the horse to carry 
his tail higher than he otherwise would. The mode 
of doing it is to first fasten the horse with a rope 
around the neck and between the fore legs and 
around the fetlocks of the hind legs, so that if he 
kicks he cannot hurt you ; and have the assistant 
*8tand by the h^ad holding the twitch ; take hold 
of the tail and draw it over on the back, then three 
inches from the roots of the tail make with a small 
bladed knife the incision. You will find two cords 
on each side of the tail. Put your knife flatways 
with the tail and work it in that way till you get it 
under the cord, then turn the knife over and cut 
the cord off, but do not cut any more ; two inches 
from thift incision make another ; do the same on 
the other side, and then tie a knot on the tail 
and put a cord through the knot and draw the 
tail over the back and tie it to the surcingle and 
keep it there for a week ; then it may be taken off 
and the tail will be carried with a nice raise ; if it 



AKD imW TO CUnE THEM. 169 

is wanted carried up pretty well, it may be tied up 
longer, according to the fancy of tlie owner. 

TO STRAIGHTEN CROOKED TAILS. 

To perform this operation fasten the horse as for 
pricking, then stand on the side to which me tail 
crooks and turn it over the back, and where the 
crook is lay your knife blade flat and work it under 
thfe cord ; be careful and cut between joints. After 
you get the knife blade under the cord turn it over 
and cut the cord off ; if it is not a very bad crook 
one cut will be enough, but if it is very bad 
make another cut one and a half itiches below the 
first ; then tie a knot on the end of the tail and tie 
it around to the opposite side and let it stay there 
for three days ; then untl< ': and let it be down for 
one day ; then tie up ag&u (for a few days raoie, 
and the tail will be carried straight. 



-:o:- 



FIRING, 

Firing is performed by heating an iron to a 
white heat and burning the skin and sometimes 
through the skin to the depth of one inch, or 
more or less, as the case requires* The kind of 
iron to be used in burning bony tumors, hard 
swellings, ring-bones, spavins or splints, is made 
in this waj^ : Have four pieces of round iron two- 

22 



170 DISEASES OP THE HORSE 

eighths of an inch thick, and eight inches long, 
welded together, leaving two inches at one end un- 
welded ; have these unwelded ends sharpened with 
blunt points half an inch apart and then put a 
handle on the other end. In burning for spavin 
have the horse thrown with the diseased leg down, 
so that the spavin will be up and you can get to it 
readily with the firing iron ; heat the iron till it is 
red hoi and by the time you get to tlie horse it will 
be just right ; burn through the skin and to the 
spavin just enough to prick it a little, applying it 
all over the enlargement until it resembles honey 
comb. Ringbones, side bones, splints and bony 
tumors should be treated in the same manner. All 
the part will want will be to oil the place where it 
was burnt, which will keep the air from it. Ring- 
bones and spavins sometimes require to be burnt 
twice, but they yield ^ ^v this treatment when all 
other remedies fail, anvQU horse does not suffer as 
much as in blistering, sTnd it only lasts one or two 
hours, and is then all over with. 



OEE^iFTElI?; JST^XXX. 



Sow to Shoe Your Morse, 



i^ifF YOUR horse has a broad and well shaped 
^m foot, wide at the heels, with a large and well 
spread frog, and the heels well down to the 
ground — the shape of a colt' s foot of the age 
of six months — your object will be to keep it in 
that shape. On looking at the foot of a colt six 
months old you will find it well spread, the heels 
full and wide, and close to the ground, and. the 
frog also full and wide ; this is a natural hoof, by 
natural growth ; your object should be to shoe 
your horse so as to have his foot as nearly like a 
colt' s foot as possible ; when your horse is taken 
to the shop have the shoes taken off carefully ; 
then pare the heels down to the shape of a colt's 
foot, and do not cut any off the frog nor much off 



172 DISEASES OF THE HOUSE . 

the toe ; cut most oft the heel and v«ry little off the 
toe ; do not cat or tile any off' the sides of the hoof, 
but have the shoe come out full. Do not have the 
heel of the shoe close, but wide and well away 
from the frog, and have the shoe lay even on the 
foot. Do not have the shoe liot when you apply 
it to the foot for it injures the toughness of the 
hoof, and causes it to be brittle and dry. Some 
smiths have a habit of putting clips on the toes of 
horses when shoeing, which injures the foot. The 
sniith will tell you it does good, it keeps the shoe 
on. Now, how can it keep the shoe on ? A horse 
does not push his feet like a sleigh along the 
ground, but when he is in motion puts his foot flat 
to the ground, and does not push his toe against 
the ground as is thought by some horsemen ; this 
clip presses against the toe with a continuous pres- 
sure, and causes a curl or winding ridge up the 
front of the hoof, and by:and-by you will find a 
crack from the toe to the top of the hoof ; this is 
the consequence of a clip on the toe of the shoe. 
There should be four nails on the outside of the 
shoe and three on the inside. After the shoe is on 
the frog should be so that it will lie or press on the 
ground when the shoe does. This is the way to 
shoe a sound foot. 

To shoe a contracted foot and make it expand, 
when all other means fail to do it, cut away the 
heels most, and do not cut much off the toe ; then 
cut out the bars and the clefts each side of the 



AND HOW TO CURE THEM. 173 

frog SO that tkey will nearly bleed, and you can 
almost spread them with your hand before you 
nail the shoe on ; cut between the toe and the shoe 
two inches wide and enough so that you can put 
the blade of your jack-knife between the shoe and 
hoof. This will spread the worst contracted foot. 
Apply two ounces of the following liquid to the 
feet with a brush, close up to the hair and over the 
frog and sole and heels, twice a week : 

Linseed Oil 6 ounces. 

Kerosene Oil t 3 " 

Oil of Tar 3 " 

Spirits of Turpentine , 3 " 

Apply this to all the feet, and it will keep them 
cool and soft. It is a splendid application for con- 
tracted feet and brittle hoofs. 

:o: 

THE BEST KIND OF SHOES. 

If the horse is shod for road purposes, have the 
shoe wide at the toe and narrow at the heel, and 
it ought to be so made and fitted as to bear upon 
all parts around the crust or wall of the hoof; the 
shoe should be beveled oif so that it will not lie on 
any part but the edge of the wall or crust of the 
hoof. For summer use it is not required to have 
any toe or heel calks on. Do not let the shoes 
stay on too long ; they should never be allowed 
to stay on over four weeks at the outside. 

:o: 



174 DISEASES OF THE HORSE 

TO SHOE A HORSE FOR TEAM WORK. 
Pare the hoof as for road purposes, by cutting 
more oif the heel than the toe, to have the foot as 
nearly as possible in the shape of a colt's foot. 
The best kind of shoe for a work horse, is one of 
proper thickness, that will not bend or bulge 
if he steps on a cobble stone or spike, etc. ; it should 
be broader at the toe than at the heel, and broader 
at the heel than the shoe used for road purposes ; 
the calks should not be more than a quarter of an 
inch high. Pare the foot so that the shoe will lie 

level all around, and in fitting it do not apply it 
hot, as it injures the crust and sole of the foot ; 
have the heels well spread, not too much, but 
enough so that they will not press against the frog ; 
have the shoe come out even with the sides of the 
hoof ; what you pare off the sole will be enough 
without rasping the sides of the hoof, unless it is 
out of shape, and then it should be rasped only 
enough to bring it into shape. Do not leave the 
shoe on longer than four weeks ; if left on longer 
the hoof will grow over it, and in time will cause 
lameness. 



THE BAR SHOE. 

The bar shoe is simply a common shoe with a 
bar across the heel by which the pressure is taken 
off some tender place, as for instance, where there 



AND HOW TO CURE THEM. Xlh 

is a corn, a prick in the crust, sole or frog ; or for 
the cure of quarter crack or sand crack, and here 
it is very useful. It should be allowed to stay on 
not over four weeks before it is removed, the 
foot pared and the shoe put on again. When 
applied to the foot it should be made so that the 
bar does not press too much on the frog, but merely 
touch it. 



-:o: 



PUTTING LEATHER UNDER THE SHOE. 

Leather under the shoe is very useful for the 
purpose of lessening the jar or shock produced by 
the contact of the elastic iron with the ground, or 
for the cure of inflammation in .the feet ; when a 
horse is so lame with inflammation in his feet that 
he can hardly travel, putting leather under the 
shoe will relieve him so that he will go along as if 
nothing was the matter with him. This is a very 
good contrivance while inflammation or tenderness 
of the foot continues, but it is a bad practice if 
constantly adopted. If it is put on to lessen the 
jar, it may be put over the hoof and the shoe 
nailed on afterwards ; and the leather cut out with 
a knife. If it is put under the shoe for the pur- 
pose of keeping dirt from a wound in the sole or 
frog, or for corns, spread it over the whole foot and 
put the shoe on, then see if the leather flts evenly 
over the foot, if it does then you may nail the shoe 



176 DISEASES OF THE HOUSE 

on ; after you get tlie shoe on cut the leather close 
to the shoe on the outside, but do not cut it on 
the inside of the foot ; but if it is out too far from 
the heel it may be cut off there. This is a ^reat 
benefit to horses where the sole is bruised or where 
it is thin or flat and tender. It cannot be too 
highly recommended for diseases of the feet. 

:o: 

TIPS OR HALF SHOES. 
Tips or half shoes, as they are sometimes called, 
are shoes that come half way around the foot, and 
are worn while the horse is out to grass, or run- 
ning in a box stall, to prevent the chipping of the 
toe or the crust being broken by occasional hard- 
ness of the ground, or the pawing of the animaL 
They are sometimes put on while horses have con- 
tracted heels to save the toes while they run out to 
grass, and the contracted heel has a chance to 
expand. They greatly save the toes of. the horse, 
and should be put on every horse that is turned 
out to grass. Fasten with four nails, two on a side, 
and leave them on from two to three months. 



OHI^e^FTEiK, XIX. 



Veterinary Medicines. 



1 



GIVE liere a cobplete list of all the Medicines 
I used in the Treatment of Diseases of the Horse, 
^ with the particular disease each medicine is 
calculated to act upon, and the proper amount 
to be given for a dose. 

These remedies are given under their commoji 
names, so that they will be recognized by horse 
owners ; and not by the names they are known by 
among Veterinary Surgeons. 



Acetic Acid 

Is used as a caustic for the removal of warts and 
similar growths. 

Its mode of application is to apply the acid to 
the roots of the warts with an iron skewer once a 
day till they drop off. 

23 



178 DISEASES OF THE HOUSE 

Arsenious Acid 

Is used as a tonic in chronic rheumatism, mange, 
farcy, heaves or broken wind. 

The dose for a horse is five to ten grains twice a 
day, mixed with ginger and gentian, one draclim of 
each, to be put in the feed. 

Alurri 

Is used as an astringent in diarrhoea and obsti- 
nate diabetes, and is applied externally to open 
joints and wounds. 

The dose for a horse is two to four drachms once 
a day, dissolved in water and given with opium. 

For external application it is pulverised and 
mixed with flour and sprinkled over the wound. 

o 

Ammoniacum. 
This is a stimulant and anti-spasmodic in coughs 
and nervous diseases. 

The dose for a horse is two to four drachms ; to 
be given in the form of balls once a day. 

Assafoetida 

Is used as a stimulant and for the cure of coughs 
and colic. 

The dose is two four drachms once a day, to be 
given in a drench with three ounces of syrup and 
one drachm of gentian. 



, AND HOW TO CURE THEM. 179 

Aloes. 

Barbadoes aloes is used as a purgatiye. 

The dose is three to eight drachms dissolved in 
warm water with four drachms of ginger and one 
ounce of laudanum, to be given every twentj^-four 
hours till the horse is physicked. 

Ammonia 

Is used as a stimulant and resolvent. It is given 
in tympanites or hoven, 

The dose is one-half to one ounce diluted with 
thirty parts of water or cold gruel ; to be given 
twice a day. 

Aromatic Spirits of Ammonia 
Is used as a stimulant and anti-spasmodic. It 

is given in hoven. 
The dose is one-half to one ounce, to be given in 

cold gruel or in cold water twice a day. 



Benzoin 

Is used in the tincture of aloes and will be spoken 
of in that place. 



Borax 

Is used for the cure of sore mouth. 

The dose for a horse is one ounce in six ounces 
of honey, to be applied to the parts aifected three 
times a day. 



180 DISEASES OF THE HORSE 

Black Pepper 

Is used for a stomachic and carminative in sim- 
ple indigestion, and as an aromatic to destroy the 
unpleasant flavor of many medicines. 

The dose is two drachms ; given with other 
medicines. 



-o 



Burgundy Pitch 

Is used externally as a plaster for the support 
of sprains and fractures. • 

Its mode of application is to melt it with tar, 
beeswax and flour, three ounces of each, and apply 
when warm. 

Bi Carbonate of Potash 
Is used for a diuretic. 

The dose for the horse is two to six drachms ; it 
is given in cold water or in gruel twice a day. 



Carbolic Acid 

Is used externally as a disinfectant, astringent 
and styptic, applied to cancerous sores and ulcers 
and thrush ; it modifies suppuration, and cures 
scratches and farcy ulcers. ^ 

Its application is as a lotion : Carbolic acid one 
ounce, water twenty ounces. The same can be 
used as a disinfectant. 



AND HOW TO CUBE THEM. 181 

Chlorine Gas. 

This gas is used to disinfect the air of stables and 
other buildings, and for the cure of glanders and 
farcy ; in its action on these two diseases, it first 
increases but ultimately diminishes the secretion. 

As a disinfectant the apparatus is to be placed 
in the stable, the doors closed during the genera- 
tion of the gas, and afterwards opened for some 
,time previous to the entrance of any person. 

When the gas is to be inhaled the patient should 
be in a stall, the gas in an earthen jar, and the 
horse' s head should be^held over the vessel con- 
taining the gas ; if the patient shows symptoms of 
choking the vessel may be removed for a few mo- 
ments, and be again applied; it will need to be' 
used once a day, for three weeks. A complete! 
cure will be the result. 



Carbonate of Ammonia 

Is used as a stimulant and resolvent, and is given* 
in influenza, erysipelas and other typhoid affec^ 
tions, and in inflammation of the lungs, pleurisy, 
and similar complaints. > 

The dose for the horse is one to two drachms, 
twice a day, dissolved in water. 



Chloride of Ammonium 

Is used externally as a stimulant for bruises arid 
sprains, and inflammatory swellings. 



^ 



l«2 DISEASES OF THE EOBSE 

Oae ounce to one pint of vinegar is the proper 
proportion ; apply three times a day. 



Chamomile Flowers 

Are a tonic and carminative in indigestion, and 
are also used during convalesence after inflamma- 
tory attacks. 

The dose is two to six drachms, combined with 
one drachm of ginger, twice a day, in warm water 
or gruel. 

Chlorinated Lime 
Is used internaUy in tympanites to absorb the 
carbonic gas and decompose the sulphuretted 
hydrogen which are developed in these affections. 
Externally it is used as a disinfectant and stimu- 
lant to gangrenous wounds, fistulas, poll evil, 
ulcers, thrush, canker, grease, etc. 

The dose should be for internal use three to five 
drachms, suspended in water, three or four times 
a day. For external application as a lotion, use 
one ounce to one quart of water, and the same for 
a disinfectant. 



Camphor 
Is used as a stimulant and sedative, and is oc- 
casionally given in tymj)anites and cough ; also ex- 
ternally as an anodynefor chronic sprains and 
bruises. 



AND HOW TO CUBE THEM. 183 

The dose is one to two drachms disolved in alco- 
hol and combined with opium or digitalis, and 
water twice a day. For external use^ see lini- 
ments. 

Cantharides. 

This is used as a stimulant and tonic in cases of 
debility or in dropsy ; also in farcy and glanders. 
Externally, is used for a counter-irritant or stimu- 
lant, and is also employed as a blister. 

The dose is five grains suspended in gruel, 
once a day. Externally, is used in the form of an 
ointment or liniment. See ointments and liniments. 



Capsicum. 

This is a stimulant and carminative, and is used 
in colic or constipation of the bowels. 

The dose is six to thirty drops, to be given in 
gruel twice or thrice a day. 



■o 



Charcoal 

Is used to absorb the gases causing gastric dis- 
tension ; also in diarrhoea and dysentery to correct 
the fetor of the evacuations. 

The dose is one to two ounces, pulverized and 
mixed in cold gruel ; to be given once a day. 



Caraway Seeds 
Are used as a carminative and aromatic inter- 
nally in indigestion and flatulency, and to mask 



184 DISEASES OF THE HOUSE 

the disagreeable flavor of medicine ; also to dimin- 
ish the griping effects of purgatives. 

The dose is one to two ounces, powdered and 
administered with other medicines, or given in half 
a pint of warm ale twice a day. 



> Cascarilla Bark 

Is used as an aromatic tonic and slight astrin- 
gent. Is sometimes given in diarrhoea and chronic 
typhus affections, and in debilitating diseases. 

The dose is two to four drachms, given as a 
drench with opium, once a day. 



Chloroform 

Is used as an anaesthetic to dea&en the great 
pain attending some operations. 

The mode of application is on a sponge' satura- 
ted with the chloroform and placed in a bag at- 
tached to the patient's head; the quantity to be 
used is six ounces. When the point of a knife is 
borne without a flinch the sponge may be with- 
drawn. For use as a liniment, see liniments. 



Collodion 

Is used for an adhesive covering to wounds, and 
in erysipelas, ulcers and burns. 

It is brushed over the parts affected three or 
four times a day ; it protects them from atmos- 
plieric and other causes of irritation. 



AND HOW TO CURE THEM. I8r. 

Creosote 
Is used as a caustic in the stopping of bleeding, 
and for glanders and farcy. 

It is mixed with powdered alum and sprinkled 
over the wounds. In glanders and farcy it is 
diluted with water, one ounce to seventeen ounces 
of water ; to be injected up the nostrils or into farcy 
ulcers, twice a day. 



o- 



Chalk 

Is used for chronic diarrhoea and dysentery. 

The dose is one ounce suspended in gruel, with 
one ounce of laudanum and one drachm of ginger, 
given once a day. 



-o- 



Crotpn Seeds 

Are used for a cathartic in obstinate constipa- 
tion, and where it is necessary to effect a speedy 
evacuation of the bowels. 

The dose is twenty to thirty grains suspended in 
warm gruel, or with other physics ; given every 
twenty-four hours till evacuation of the bowels 
takes place. 



Chloride of Antimony 

Is used for a caustic in the treatment of corns, 
thrush, canker and fistula. 

It is applied to the aflfected parts with an iron 
skewer, once a day ; it occasions but little pain. 



24 



186 DISEASES OF THE HORSE 

Castor* Oil 

Is used for a cathartic in constipation of the 
bowels. 

The dose is six to eight ounces with a littJe warm 
water, and one ounce of laudanum, to prevent 
griping, to be given once every twenty- four hours 
till evacuation of the bowels takes place. 



Croton Oil 

Is used for obstinate constipation of the bowels. 

The dose is fifteen to twenty drops mixed 
with linseed oil or any other purgative, once in 
twenty-four hours till purgation takes place. 



Chloride of Sodium 

Is used as a cathartic diuretic and tonic, alter- 
ative and resolvent. 

Put in the manger for him to lick, or sprinkle 
over his oats or hay ; externally, is used as a lotion 
consisting of one pound of common salt to a gallon 
of cold water. This lotion should be applied im- 
mediately after the salt is dissolved. 

Chloride of Zinc 
Is used for the healing of wounds, canker, 
quittor, and all wounds and farcy sores in the 
skin. 

Its mode of application is mixed with three 
'gi'ains to the ounce of water, applied with a feather 



AND HOW TO CUBE THEM. 187 

four or five times a day. The healing coininence^ 
from the first application. 

Distilled Water. 

Di8tille(i water is rain water boiled and filtered, 
and is used for dissolving manj medicinal agents ; 
also for making all aqueous solutions. 

Digitalis 

Is used for a se lative and diuretic in functional 
diseases of the heart and chronic rheumatism ; 
also in pneumonia and chronic cough. 

The dose is three grains, mixed with nitrate of 
potash, ginger, gentian and laudanum ; to be given 
twice a day in the feed. 

Ergot 

Is a styptic in hemorrhages of the lungs, kid- 
neys, and other organs, but is principally used as 
a parturient to excite the uterus, to contract and 
expel its contents during parturition. . 

The dose should be two to four drachms ; to be 
given in porter twice a day. 

Emetic Tartar 

Stimulates when used internally ; it is also an 
alterative, nauseant, sedative and emetic. It is 
given in the early stages of inflammation of the 
lungs and pneumonia. 



188 DISEASES OF TEE HORSE 

The dose is one-half to one drachm, to be dis- 
solved in water, and one half draclun of ginger 
with it ; to be given twice a day. 



o- 



Epsom Salts 

Is used as a cathartic and diuretic. 

The dose is one-half to one pound, dissolved in 
warm water with one ounce of ginger and one 
ounce of laudanum, once a daj^ 



Ether Sulphuric 

Is a stimulant and narcotic, and is used for stop- 
page of water, inflammation of the bowels, and 
colic. 

The dose is one to two ounces given with cold 
water, and one ounce of laudanum, ^iven twice or 
three times a day. 



Gamboge. 

* The dose is three to six drachms, combined with 
one ounce of ginger and one of laudanum in One- 
half pint of warm water, to be given once a day. 



Galia 
Is used as an astringent and styptic. 
The dose is one to three drachms mixed with 

linseed meal, two ounces, syrup two ounces ; 

formed into balls and given twice a day. 



A]\'L HOW TO CURE THEM. igo 

Gentian Root 

Is a tonic and stomachic. 

The dose is two to four drachms, to be given in 
half a pint of warm water, with carraway seeds and 
ginger ; to be given twice a day. 



-o 



Glycerine 

Is employed externally as an emollient in skin 
affections, accompanied by dryness, and in cracked 
heels, burns and scalds. 

Glycerine six ounces, carbolic acid one ounc«», 
mixed and applied with a feather to the diseased 
skin twice a day. 



o- 



Ginger 

Is used as a stimulant, stomachic, carminative 
and tonic ; is given in flatulent colic and debility 
of the stomach and intestines. It is also combind 
with cathartics to increase their activity and to pre- 
vent griping. 

The dose is two to five drachms given with otht^r 
doses, such as physic or tonics ; it may be given 
two or three times a day. 

Hydrocyanic Acid 
Is given as a sedative, anti- spasmodic and ano- 
dyne ; is used in chronic cough, palpitation of die 
heart and tetanus. 

The dose is twenty to thirty drops, to be giy^m 



190 DISEASES OF THE HORSE 

in cold water with one drachm of belladonna, three 
times a day. 



Iodide of Copper with iodine. 

The properties of this remedy are tonic and alter- 
ative ; also stimulant to the absorbents. Is em- 
ployed in the treatment of glanders, farcy and 
nasal ^leet ; also as an external stimulant and 
astringent, applied to enlargement of the legs and 
glandular enlargements. 

The dose is one to two drachms combined with 
ginger, gentian, and one-half pint of ale, once a 
day. For external use see Ointments. 



Iodide of Iron 

Is a tonic, alterative and astringent, and is given 
in diabetes and nasal gleet. 

The dose is one to two drachms, in a solution of 
water or gruel, once a day. 

o 

Iron, Sulphate of 

Is used as an astringent and tonic ; given in de- 
bilitating diseases. 

The dose is one to two drachms with ginger and 
gentian, two drachms of each ; to be sprinkled 
over the feed or given with one- half pint of ale, 
twice a day. 



AJW HOW TO CURE THBM. 191 

Iodine 

Is used as a tonic, alterati\re, deobstruent and 
resolvent ; if it is given for a length of time it 
causes debiiity, and gives rise to disturbance of 
the constitution. Also as an external stimulant, 
• counter-irritant and resolvent in bursal enlarg- 
ment, swellings of the joints, and tumors of vari- 
ous kinds. 

The dose should be ten to twenty grains in one 
pint of ale, once a day. For external use, see oint- 
ment of iodine and tincture of iodine. 

Ipecacuanha 

Is a sedative ; a mild cathartic ; also used in 
coughs. 

The doae is fifteen to eighteen grains, to be 
given with gentian, ginger, nitrate of potash, one 
drachm of each, mixed with the feed once a day. 

o 

Iodide of Potassium 

Is used in hemorrhage from the bladder, or for 
the absorbtion of tumors or glandular structures. 

When injected in the bladder dilute one fluid 
drachm with three fluid ounces of water. For ex- 
ternal application see ointment of iodide of Dotas- 
sum. ^ 



Iodide of Sulphur 

Is used for coughs, broken wind, thick wind 
and for roaring. ' 



lf>y DISEASES OF THE HOUSE 

The dose is ten to fifteen grains, mixed with one 
drachm of gentian and one drachm of ginger ; to 
be sprinkled over the oats twice a day. 



Bodide of Mercury 

Is used as a counter-irritant and resolvent in the 
treatment of curbs, splints, sprains and enlarged 
burses. For the mode of application see oint- 
ment of red iodide of mercury. 



Juniper Oil 

Is used as a diuretic and stomachic. 

The dose is one to two drachms, to be given ii 
water, with one ounce of laudanum and two 
ounces of spirits of nitre, once a day. 



Linseed 

Is used externall}^ as a poultice for the drawino- 
and softening of tumors, and is sometimes given 
to horses as a mucilage, and for coughs and de- 
bility. 

The dose is four to six ounces, to be given in the 
feed. As a mucilage, put a half pint in a pail, 
pour over it four quarts of hot water, and give one 
pint at a dose, or sprinkle it over the feed twice a 
day. 



AND HOW TO CURE THEM. IftSt 

Liniment of Ammonia. 

Take oil of turpentine one ounce, aqua ammonia 
one ounce, and olive oil two ounces. 

Use as a counter irritant in sore throat, rheuma- 
tism, sprains, chronic tum jrs and l)ronclutis ; 
applied twice a day. 

Liniment of Lime. 

To make, take lime water three ounces, olive 
oil two ounces, and spirits of turpentine one-half 
ounce. 

It is applied to burns and scalds. 



Liniment of Camphor 

Is made by taking camphor one ounce, olive oil 
two ounces. 

It is used as a stimulating embrocation for dee]i 
seated inflammation, and for glandular swellings. 



Compound of Liniment of Camphor. 

Its component parts are, camphor one ounce, 
rectified spirits four ounces, aqua ammmonia two 
ounces, olive oil three ounces, vinegar three ounces ; 
dissolve the camphor in spirits before mixing, then 
put all in a bottle and shake together ; use the 
same as liniment of camphor ; it is more active. 



26 



194 . DISEASES OF THE HORSE 

Liniment of Cantharides. 

Its parts: Cantharides, in powder, one o mce, 
olive oil eiglit ounces. Is used for blistering, and 
for sore throat or any external blister. 



Liniment of Croton Oil 
Is made of croton oil one-half ounce, oil of tur- 
pentine six ounces, soft soap six ounces. This is a 
very powerful external blister and dissolvent. 



Liniment of Iodine 

Is composed of iodine one ounce, iodide of potas- 
sium one-half ounce, camphor one ounv^e, rectified 
spirit eleven ounces, soft soap six ounces ; use as a 
stimulant and dissolvent forenlargtd glands ; is to 
be applied with the hand and rubbM well in. 



Liniment of Opium 

Is composed of opium one ounce, soft soap 
three ounces, rectified spirit four ounces, cam- 
phor one ounce ; used as an anodyne to local 
pains and sprains, and in rheumatism ; apply with 
the hand and lub well in. 



Liniment of Soap 

Is made by taking soft soap three ounces, cam- 
phor gum one and one-half ounces, oil of turpen- 
tine eight ounces, origanum oil two ounces ; used 



AND IWW TO CURB THEM. t&5 

a» a stimulant and anodyne after local intlannia- 
tion, and applied to sprains, bruises, tumors and 
sore thi-oat. 

Liniment of Turpentine 

Is made by taking oil of turpentine eight ounc6)s, 
soft soap four ounces, camphor one ounce, proof 
spirits six ounces. Dissolve the camphor in thj^ 
spirit, then add tlie others together and shake well. 
Used same as liniment of soap. 



Liniment of Carbolic Acid 

To make, take carbolic acid one ounce, and 
water 20 ounces, and* shake well together ; used 
as a lotion for extensive wounds, and "to prevent 
the decomposition of any blood that may accumu- 
late after the wound has been sewn up ; also for 
scratches and farcy ulcers. 



-o 



Liniment of Linseed Oil. 

Take of linseed oil one pint, whale oil six ounces, 
oil of tar three ounces, and shake well together. 
Is used for dry hoofs or inliammation in the feet, 

and for contracted feet, 

% 

o 

Lotion of Nitrate of Silver. 

Take nitrate of silver three grains, and dis- 
tilled water one ounce ; used as an excitant to 



198 DISEASES OF THE HORSE 

wounds ; also one or two drops of the solution 
mixed with equal bulk of water, is sometimes 
dropped in the eye to remove opacity of the 
cornea. 



-0-- 



Lotion of Laudanum. 
Take of laudanum one ounce, and sulphate of 
zmc two grains, and shake Avell ; used as a lotion 
for the eyes where there is white film over them, 
or when tliey have been struck with a whip ; also 
for inflammation of the eyes ; to be injected in the 
eye once a day. 

Lotion of Vhiegar 

Is composed of vinegar^ six ounces, proof spirit 
four ounces, water four ounces, shaken together. 
Is used for inflammatory swellings and to abate 
external inflammation. 



Linseed Oil 

is used internally as a cathartic and emollient, 
and is given in cases of intestinal irritability, as 
rn constipation of the bowels, or in troublesome 
cough. 

The dose for the horse is one^to two pints once a 
day ; for cough it may be sprinkled over the feed ; 
for external use see Liniments. 



AND HOW TO CURE THEM. m 

Mercury 

Is used as a tonic ; it is given after a long run of 
fever ; or for glanders, farcy or dropsy. 

The dose for a horse is two to five grains ; it i^ 
given with gentian «,nd ginger, made into a powder 
and sprinkled over the feed once a day. 



Myrrh 

Is used internally as a stimulant and tonic ; i» 
given in dyspepsia and debility, and in cases of 
chronic cough. 

The dose for the horse is two to four drachms j 
given in the shape of a drench, mixed with ginger 
and given twice a day ; externally is an excitant 
and deodorizer to wounds. See Tinctures. 

Mustard 
Is used as a counter-irritant in the form of a poul- 
tice. 

Is prepared o" one-half pound of mustard and 
one gill of vinegar, heated hot and mixed well 
together and spread on a cloth or plaster, and 
applied to whatever part the counter irritant is 
required on. 



Nitric Acid 

Is used externally as a caustic . for the removal 
of warts and fungus growths and in canker, and 
for destroying the fetor ol unhealthy wounds. 



i98 DISEASES OF THE HORSE 

Its mode of application is by means of a pledget 
g1 tow tied to a stick and saturated with the acid 
diluted, four drachms of the acid to one pint of 
\yater, and applied to the roots of warts and fun- 
gus growths once a day ; for canker or thrush in 
horses' feet the mixture of four ounces of tar and 
one ounce of the acid, is to be applied to the 
diseased part ; two or three applications are enough. 



Nitrate of Silver 

Is used externally as astimularit, astringent and 
caustic for the improvement of indolent sores, 
mange or ringworm ; or for the removal of warts 
Qi' fungus growths ; it is also used for the cure of 
bites of rabid animals. 

It is applied in the form of a stick to sores and 
fungus growths ; probe the wounds of a bite and 
merely touch its parts with the caustic ; a few 
times is all that is required, 

Nux Vomica 

is used as a nervous stimulant in partial and 
general paralj^sis. 

The dose for a horse is twenty to forty grains 
once a day, dissolved in hot water, given in one 
pint of ale. For the tincture, se<^' Tinctures. 

o 



AND ROW TO CURE THEM. t99 

Nitrate of Potash 

Is used internally as a diaretic, febrifuge and 
refrigerant. 

The dose is four to eight drachms, given with 
ginger and gentian, four drachms of each, and to 
be sprinkled in the feed twice a day. 

Oil of Anise 

Is used for flavoring medicines, especially those 
of an aromatic nature. 

The dose is thirty to forty drops twice a day. 



Oil of Juniper 

Is a stomachic and diuretic. 

The dose is one to two drachms twice a day in 
other diuretics, or given in mucilaginous drinks. 



Olive Oil 

Is used in the form of liniment, ointment and 
blisters. See Ointments, Blisters and Liniments, 



Oil of Turpentine 

Is used internally as an astringent, stimulant 
and cathartic ; and externally as a counter-irritant, 
stimulant and digestive. 

The dose is one to two ounces, given twice a day 
in linseed oil; or in other oils. Externally, see 
Liniments. 



i»o diseasks of the horse 

Opium 

Is a stimulant, sedative, nareotic, anodyne and 
anti-spasmodic. Is f^iven in diarrlioea, intiamma- 
tion of the bowels, pneumonia, rheumatism and 
tetanus, and many other maladies. Is used exter- 
nally as an auodj^ne, and in superficial inflamma- 
tion of the eye, skin or joints. 

The dose is one to two draclims, given twice a 
day, dissolved in water ; it may be given alone 
with one-half pint of water, or combined with 
ginger, gentian and spirits of nitre. For external 
use see Liniment of Opium. 

Oak Bark 

Is used as an astringent and tonic to arrest 
diarrhoea, dysentery, and similar discharges. 
Also externall}^ as an astringent, and for stimulat- 
ing unhealthy wounds, and to reduce superficial 
enlargements. 

The dose is one to six drachms once a day of the 
powdered bark, mixed with gruel. Externall}^ is 
used in the form of decoction, applying it warm to 
the affected parts three or four times a day. 



Ointnnent of Carbolic Acid 

Is composed of carbolic acid one ounce, and pre- 
pared lard six ounces, mixed well together. Is 
used, for unhealthy wounds ; grease the parts 
affected twice a day. 



AND HOW TO CUBE THEW. 201 

Ointment of Aconite 

Is made of extract of aconite two ounces, and 
prepared lard three ounces, mixed well together. 

Its use is an anodj'ne to be applied to painful 
sores, as sprains, ringbones and curbs, and after 
the application of blisters and firing ; merely grease 
the place aflfected. 

Ointment of Tartar Emetic 

Is made of tartar emetic two ounces, and pre- 
pared lard four ounces, mixed well together. 

It is used as a counter irritant to the chest and 
joints, and to any glandluar enlargement ; to be 
rubbed well in with the hand once a day. 



Ointment of Nitrate of Silver. 

Take of nitrate of silver, in fine powder, eleven 
grains, and of prepared lard one ounce, and mix 
well together. 

Is used for chronic opthalmia ; a piece the size 
of a pea is placed between the eyelids cn^ery three 
days. 



Ointment of Cantharides 

Is composed of cantharides, in powder, one 
ounce, prepared lard six ounces, and euphorbium 
four drachms, mixed well together. 

Is used as an irritant to keep blisters open, and 

2'o 



202 DISEASES OF THE HORSE 

to keep up the discharge of setons and ro wells ; 
to be applied with the hand and rubbed well in. 



Ointment of Mercury. 
To make this ointment take of menniry one pound, 
prepared lard one pound, and prepared suet two 
ounces. Rub them well together until globules 
cease to be visible, when it will be fit for use. 

Is used for mange and other scurfy affections, 
and as a resolvent in glandular enlargements, as 
bog spavins and thoroughpins ; to be applied with 
with friction. 

Compound Ointment of Mercury. 

Take ointment of mercury two ounces, and soft 
soap four ounces, and mix well together. 

Is used for a stimulant and counter irritant ; also 
a resolvent ; to be applied with the hand and 
rubbed well in. 



Ointment of Red Iodide of Mercury 

Is mad<j of red iodide of mercury oiie ounce, and 
prepared lard six ounces, mixed well together. 

Is .used for the treatment of spavins, ringbones, 
splints and enlarged burses ; to be rubbed in with 
the hand once a day for three days, then wash off 
and gi'c^ase every other day till the scab comes off. 
If the lameness remains apply as before. 



y\NI) HOW TO CUBE THEM. 2,ot 

Ointment of Bi Chloride of Mercury. 

Take of bi chloride of mercury one ounce, and 
prepared lard two ounces, and mix well together. 

Is used for the removal of bony tumors ; to be 
applied with friction and rubbed well in with the 
hand. 



Ointment of Iodine 

Is composed of iodine crystals one ounce, iodide 
of potassium one ounce, and prepared lard seven 
ounces, mixed well together. . 

Is used for the removal of tumors, spavins, ring- 
bones, splints and other enlargements ; to be ap- 
plied' with the hand and rubbed well in for three 
days, then wash off and grease. After the scab 
comes off apph^ as before till the bunch is re- 
moved. 



Ointment of Turpentine 

Is made of Venice turpentine two ounces, and 
bar soap, in shavings, four ounces, mixed well 
together. 

Is used spread on tow^ and applied to wounds 
and ulcers for the purpose of drawing the tumor 
to a head. 



Ointment for Digestive. 

To make this ointment take of browni soap three 
ounces, brown sugar two ounces, lime, in fine 



804 - DISEASES OE THE HORSE 

powder, one ounce, and Venice turpentine three 
ounces, mixed well together. 

To be used for sores and wounds for the j)ur- 
pose of drawing them to a head ; to be applied on 
tow and laid on the sore and bandaged. 

Ointment of Snuff 
Is made of Scotch snuff four ounces, prepared 
iard six ounces, and kerosene oil three ounces, 
mixed well together. 

Is used to destroy lice on horses ; should be 
rubbed on the skin in lines across it. 



Ointment, Green 

Is composed of the following : Prepared lard 
two pounds, tincture of iodine three ounces, can- 
tharides in powder two ounces, bi ciiloride of 
mercury four drachms, mercurial ointment five 
ounces, euphorbium one ounce, croton oil eighty 
drops, mixed well together. 

Is used for spavins, ringbones, splint and sore 
throat, and is rubbed around the top of the hoof 
for the cure of inflammation of the feet, and 
thickened glands and old callouses ; should be 
rubbed in with the hand at night, and in the morn- 
ing rub the place where the ointment was applied 
until water runs out of the skin ; next day w^asb 
off and grease ; after the scab comes off if there is 



AND now TO CUBE THEM. 2M 

any lameness, or the callous is yet there, apply as 
before. 



Poultices of Linseed 

Are used to soften indolent ulcers and stimu- 
late them when it is desired to allay pain. 

It is made of linseed meal six ounces, and boiling 
water eleven ounces, mixed gradually together, 
and applied in a thin cloth or bag. 



Poultice of Charcoal 

Is made of wood charcoal, i n powder, two ounces, 
bran four ounces, boiling water six ounces, mixed 
well together. 

Is applied as linseed for the purpose of destroy- 
ing; the fetor of foul ulcers. 



Poultice of Bran 

Is made of bran six ounces, onions, in thin 
slices, six ounces, boiling water eight ounces, 
mixed well together. 

Is used as an emollient to the part to which it is 
applied ; it allays pain and inflammation in the 
same manner as linseed poultice. 

o 

Pitch Plaster 

Is composed of burgundy pitch twelve ounces, 
rosin one ounce, yellow wax one ounce, tar two 



^ DISEASES OF THE HORSE 

otinces ; melt together and keep constantly stirred. 
Is used as an adhesive plaster for wounds, and 
for the support of fractured bones. (See mode of 
application in the treatment of fractures.) 

o 

Pimento 

Is used as an aromatic, carminative and anti- 
spasmodic; it is given in tiatuLency and in colic, 
and to disguise the flavor of different medicines. 

The dose is two to four drachms twice a day. 

Powders 

xlre used as a tonic, stimulant and carminative, 
a^in cases of skin diseases and debility 

The dose is one to two tablespoonfuls twice a 
day in four quarts of scalded bran, well stirred 
together. The}^ are made as follows : 

Nitrate of Potash 6 ounces. 

Ginger 4 " 

Aniseed 3 " 

Black Antimony 1 " 

Tartar Emetic 1 " 

Gentian 2 " 

• White Sugar 6 " 

To be mixed well together. 



-o- 



Pepper 
Is used as a carminative and aromatic ; is given 
in indigestion, colic and flatulency. 



And how to cure them. 205- 

The dose is one two drachms twice a day ; to be 
given in balls, or suspended in cold grael. : .;; 



Quinine 

Is used as a tonic in intermittent and other fevers, 
loss of appetite and debilit}', and in acute rheuma- 
tism, and all acute complaints ; a.nd during the 
exhaustion which follows influenza and other 
diseases. 

The dose is twenty to forty grains once a day in 
one pint of ale. 



Rosin 

Is used as a diuretic. The dose is four to six* 
drachms given twice a day in the form of balls, or 
in powder, sprinkled over the feed. 



Sulphuric Acid 

Is used internally as a tonic and for influenza, 
or cough. Externally is used as a caustic for the 
removal of warts by applying it to their roots. . 

The dose is twenty drops in four quarts of water, 
to be given once a day. * 



Sulphate of Copper 

Is used as an asti:ingent'and tonic ; it is given 
in debility, obstinate diarrhoea, glanders and 
farcy. . . < 



5»8 DISEASES OF THE HORSE 

The dose is one to two drachms twice a day 
mixed with ginger, four drachms, gentian four 
drachms \ given in liot bran mash. 



-o— 



Sulphate of Magnesia 

Is used as a cathartic and diuretic ; also as a 
purgative combined with ginger and gentian. 

The dose is one-half pound once a da}'^ dissolved 
ill hot water. 



Spirits of Nitre 

Are used as a stimulant, diuretic and diapl>or- 
etic ; are given in colic, indigestion, tympanites, 
and in stoppage of water. 

The dose is one to three ounces, given with one 
ounce of laudanum and half a pint of water ; 
given twice a day. 



Spirits of Camphor 

Are prepared with camphor one ounce, and 
rectified spirits four ounces, dissolved. 

Are used externally as a stimulant, anodyne and 
di sentient. 



Strychnia 
Ig used as a stimulant and in paralysis. 
The dose is one to two grains once a day in half 
a pint of ale or half a pint of cold water. 



AND HOW TO CURE THEM. 209t 

Sulphur 

Is used internally as an alterative in rheuma- 
tism, and in all diseases of the skin. 

The dose is one half to one ounce twice a day in 
the form of powders, or mixed with gruel. 



Sulphate of Zinc . 

Is used externally as an astringent and excitant ; 
when applied to wounds is injected into the sinuses; 
it is also used in quittor. 

Half ounce of the salt should be dissolved in four 
ounces of water. 



Treacle 

Is used as a laxative and in forming balls, and 
to promote the activity of cathartics ; also a vehicle 
for medicines having a disagreeable Havor. 

The dose is one to two pounds. 



Tincture of Aconite 

Is prepared by taking of aconite two ounces, and 
rectified spirit one pint. Macerate for twenty-four 
hours and agitate occasionally. 

The dose for a horse is twenty to twenty-five 
drops three or four times a day in four quarts of 
cold water. 

27 



210 DISEASES OF THE HORSE 

Is used for inflammation of the lungs, or in any 
disease except inflammation of the brain and palsy. 



Tincture of Aloes 

Is prepared as follows : Barbadoes aloes ten 
drachms, myrrh five drachms, rectified spirit four- 
teen ounces, water six oances, macerate for four- 
teen days and shake frequently. 

Is used externally as an excitant to wounds and 
obstinate ulcers. 



Tincture of Cantharjdes. 

Four drachms of cantharides in powder in one 
pint of proof spirit, macerate for four days and 
shake frequently. 

Is used as a counter irritant for sore throat and 
infiammation of the larnyx. 



Tincture of Cantharides, Strong. 

Take of cantharides in powder one ounce, and 
proof spirit one pint, macerate for four days and 
shake frequently. 

Is used as a counter irritant and as a blister. 



Tincture of Cantharides, very Strong. 

Take of cantharides whole one ounce, proof 
spirit one pint ; macerate for four days with occa- 



sional agitation. 



AND HOW TO CURE THEM. n\ 

Is used as a counter irritant and stimulant in 
rheumatism, sore throat and sprains ; merely 
dampen the skin with the liquid. 



— o- 



Tincture of Iodine. 

Take of iodine oqe and one-half ounces, iodide 
of potassium one ounce, proof spirit one pint ; 
macerate for seven days with occasional agitation. 

Is used externally as a resolvent for the cure of 
splints, ringbones and spavins ; and is also injected 
into poll evil, fistula, etc. 



Tincture of Myrrh 
Is made of myrrh in coarse powder two ounces, 
rectified spirit one pint ; macerate for four days 
with occasional agitation. 

Is used externally for wounds ; also as an exci- 
tant to foul and indolent ulcers, and for canker in 
the mouth. 



Tincture of Nux Vomica. 
Take of nux vomica two ounces, rectified spirit 
one pint, and macerate for seven days with occa- 
sional agitation ; use as a stimulant and tonic in 
paralysis. 

The dose for the horse is four drachms once a 
day in one pint of ale. 



212 • DISEASES OF THE HORSE 

Tincture of Opium 

Is prepared by mixing opium in coarse powder 
one and one-half ounce, proof spirit one pint, and 
macerate for seven days with occasional agitation ; 
use as an anodyne. 

The (Jose is one to two ounces twice a day in 
other medicines, or given with+ialf a pint of warm 
water, or in gruel. 

o 

Tincture of Ginger. 

Take of ginger root three ounces, rectified spirit 
one pint, and macerate for four days with occa- 
sional agitation ; use as a carminative and tonic. 

The dose for the horse is one to two ounces, to 
he given twice a day. 



Vinegar 

Is used internally as an astringent and diuretic, 
and for calculi in the urinary deposits. Externally, 
as a lotion for application to swellings where there 
is much inflammation. 

The dose is six to ten ounces twice a day, given 
with other purgatives, or with half a pint of water, 
with one ounce of laudanum added. For external 
use take six ounces of vinegar, threeounces of spirits 
of wine ; to be applied to the parts affected twice a 
^ay. 



AND HOW TO CUBE THEM. 213 

Yellow Cinchona Bark 

Is used internally as a tonic and astringent ; is 
given in debility and in intermittent diseases, in 
enlargements and induration of the absorbent 
glands ; and after acute and lingering maladies. 

The dose is one to four drachms once a day in 
one pint of ale. 




ERRATUM. 



On page 56, fifth line, after the words "and give," insert the 
wordB ** One tablespoonfnl of." 



/I.. 



A ISTEW TREATISE 

— o^ — 

The diseases and LAMENESS 

— OF THE — 



AND- 



HO^V TO CURE THEM. 

.A.X.SO, 

Tfte Proper Metliod of Sfeoeing Horses, 

— AND A - 

Complete List of Veterinary Medicines. 

BY CHARLES SMITH, Y. S. 



BINGHAMTON, N. Y. 

Malette& Reid, 98 Water Street. 

1873. 



<^^rQ<^;^^6^-^r.r^^ 



y :. r-y ^f^-^ 



.^T^' 



\f<A^l^^iK, 



.r\0'^'^^>^^>^- 



mmm^mM^ 






•W^^ 



^^^\^^r^A/^f^r 






^.A^li>< - 



^TOTT^f^UiJaky aI 



^M/^A/* 






'^^fe?^ftmlMI^/^jl^ 






m^m 






'^^f^hH^Ar\N 



v^A^^.• 









■sftlftli: 



^^^$m^^ 






'«?/Hie.i 






r^nh^l^r^f^'^n/i^': 






'^^.^^P^;;-RaRa^ 






■mrt^ffff^^' 



mmWMffm. 



^^AAAaAA^^' 



w^imiss 



W™ 



l<i|^f'.^A^AAA/^^^AAA,'^..^ 









